As the country observed World Cancer Day on Wednesday, health experts warned that the country is facing a deepening cancer crisis marked by rising cases, limited treatment facilities and a severe shortage of trained specialists, leaving thousands of families under financial and emotional strain.
Bangladesh records an estimated 167,000 new cancer cases every year, with around 116,000 deaths annually, according to experts. The country is believed to have nearly 20 lakh cancer patients, yet there are only about 30 treatment centres nationwide, both public and private, many of which do not offer comprehensive services.
The lack of nationwide screening programmes has placed enormous pressure on a handful of specialised hospitals, particularly the National Cancer Institute in Mohakhali, Dhaka, which remains overcrowded year-round.
“Patients come expecting space, but in reality, there often isn’t any,” said Professor Syed Abdul Hamid of the Institute of Health Economics at Dhaka University. He noted that many families are forced to rent temporary accommodation near hospitals at high cost, often in poor conditions, while accompanying relatives give up work and household responsibilities, compounding the burden.
Treatment costs and financial hardship
Experts say the cost of cancer treatment has become prohibitive for most Bangladeshis. Annual treatment expenses average nearly Tk7 lakh, while some cases begin at Tk3.50 lakh and others exceed Tk1 crore to 1.5 crore, depending on the type and stage of the disease.
“Families are selling land, livestock and household assets to finance treatment,” Professor Hamid said, adding that costs often begin even before diagnosis as patients seek repeated consultations, medicines and tests at local clinics.
Dr Mohammad Habibullah Talukdar, founder and chief coordinator of the Bangladesh Breast Cancer Awareness Forum, said the country lacks the infrastructure and specialist workforce needed to handle the growing caseload. “We simply do not have the capacity to treat such a large number of patients,” he said.
Acute shortage of specialists
Bangladesh has only about 200 cancer specialists, while experts estimate at least 1,500 are needed. Postgraduate programmes currently produce just five to seven specialists annually.
“At this rate, it would take centuries to meet demand,” Professor Hamid said. He proposed short-term training programmes of three months to one year for existing doctors, which could prepare 1,000 to 2,000 mid-level professionals for cancer care, alongside expanding postgraduate seats in oncology.
Patterns of disease and risk factors
Population-based research conducted by Bangladesh Medical University in 2025 found 106 cancer patients per one lakh people. The most common cancers overall were breast, mouth, stomach, oesophagus and cervical cancer. Among men, oesophageal, stomach and lung cancers were most prevalent, while breast and cervical cancers dominated among women.
Tobacco remains a major risk factor. Studies show that 46 percent of cancer cases in Bangladesh are linked to tobacco use, including smoking and smokeless products such as betel leaf and jarda.
Gaps in awareness and prevention
Experts say public awareness and prevention efforts remain weak. “There is no permanent, nationwide government programme dedicated solely to cancer awareness,” Dr Talukdar said. Screening initiatives are limited and largely hospital-based, despite World Health Organization recommendations for low-cost community-level screening for certain cancers.
Fear and misinformation about treatment side effects further discourage early diagnosis, experts said.
Call for decentralised care
Health experts stressed the urgent need for a national cancer policy, a functional cancer registry and decentralised treatment facilities. They recommended establishing full-scale cancer hospitals at divisional levels and strengthening cancer units at district medical colleges.
“There is a stark disparity between Dhaka and rural areas,” Dr Talukdar said. “At the upazila level, facilities are almost non-existent.”
Public health expert and former WHO consultant Mohammad Mushtuq Husain emphasised prevention through healthy lifestyles and stricter regulation of food safety, pollution and tobacco. “Cancer prevention must start at the household and school level,” he said.
Experts agreed that without coordinated planning, decentralisation and sustained investment in healthcare, Bangladesh’s cancer burden will continue to rise, placing immense pressure on families and the health system alike.
