Cancer is leaving a growing number of children without their mothers, with India emerging as one of the six countries most affected by the crisis, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report.
The study estimates that more than one million children worldwide lost their mothers to cancer between 2003 and 2022. India, along with China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia and the United States, accounted for the highest number of children affected by maternal cancer deaths.
Researchers also noted that breast, cervical and colorectal cancers were among the leading causes of these deaths.
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Beyond the emotional trauma of losing a parent, children often face long-term challenges such as interrupted education, financial hardship and poorer health outcomes.
The report also stated that the changing global cancer trends are driven by today's lifestyle and changing environmental factors playing an increasingly important role in the disease burden.
"The cancer profile is evolving, increasingly driven by rising rates of obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and air pollution. Cancer prevention must remain a political priority," the report quoted Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as saying.
The findings further elaborated that there are stark inequalities in cancer care. Where Low- and middle-income countries continue to face a disproportionate share of cancer-related maternal deaths, largely due to delayed diagnosis, limited access to screening programmes and unequal availability of treatment.
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Experts also stated that many of these deaths may be prevented with early detection and timely medical intervention.
The report advocates for a larger investment in cancer prevention, screening and treatment, particularly for women in lower-income nations.
This includes upgrading healthcare systems, researchers believe, which might improve survival rates while saving millions of children from enduring the lifelong impacts of losing a mother to cancer.
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