Patiala, Feb. 10 -- Punjab sees nearly eight women dying of cancer every day, with around 2,700 fatalities annually, according to the data shared by the Union health ministry in the Rajya Sabha during the recent session of Parliament.

Over the past five years, 13,299 women in the state have succumbed to cancer, with breast cancer emerging as the leading cause of death, followed by cervical and ovarian cancers.

The data, compiled by the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research under the National Cancer Registry Programme, also shows a worrying trend. In Punjab, breast cancer accounted for 56% of female cancer deaths - 7,186 out of 13,299 cases between 2021 and 2025. Cervical cancer caused 3,502 deaths, while ovarian cancer le...