lunch: As the world celebrates World Cancer Day on Wednesday, Jharkhand continues to fight this silent but growing health crisis. Most importantly, the disease is detected too late due to lack of awareness, deep-rooted social stigma, and associated fear. Medical experts said a significant number of cancer patients only present to hospitals at an advanced stage of the disease, greatly reducing treatment options and chances of survival. Early warning signs are often ignored, largely due to cancer fear, misinformation, and social taboos.Dr Gunjesh Singh, an oncologist at Ranchi Sadar Hospital, said even the educated population in the state lags behind when it comes to cancer awareness.“Many patients come to us because they are unable to cure their disease even after consulting fake cancer healers like homeopathy and Ayurveda. As a result, they come to us only after their cancer has reached an advanced stage, which makes treatment very difficult. People here in Jharkhand have many superstitions about this disease and even after diagnosis, they sometimes refuse treatment due to fear of social stigma,” Singh added.Experts estimate that about 35,000 to 40,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in the state each year. Ajit Kushwaha, Head of Surgical Oncology, Rims, said that as per ICMR data, non-communicable diseases account for 48% of the overall disease burden in Jharkhand. The state also has a high cancer incidence rate of 70 per 100,000 people and a similarly high mortality rate, largely due to late diagnosis.“In 2025, a total of 3,412 patients were examined at the surgical oncology OPD and around 40% of all patients were in advanced stages at the time of presentation,” Kushwaha added.