Karnataka recorded an estimated 8,690 blood cancer cases in 2025, with experts warning that thousands of patients across India continue to miss timely access to life-saving stem cell transplants because of delayed diagnosis, low awareness, and a severe shortage of matching donors.

Ahead of World Blood Cancer Day on May 28, doctors at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology said blood cancers such as non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), leukaemia, and multiple myeloma remain a major public health challenge in the State and across the country.

According to estimates from the institute, the estimated incidence of lymphoma and leukaemia cases in 2025 stood at 8,690, including 3,620 among women. Bengaluru alone accounted for 1,538 cases.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 

The data showed that Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) accounted for the largest share of blood cancer cases in Karnataka, with an estimated 2,674 cases, followed by myeloid leukaemia (1,806), lymphoid leukaemia (1,384), multiple myeloma (1,206) and Hodgkin’s disease (829).

At the national level, India recorded an estimated 1,17,873 blood cancer cases in 2024, according to cancer incidence and mortality data compiled from 43 cancer registries.

Delayed diagnosis

Naveen T., Kidwai director (additional charge), said that delayed diagnosis and limited awareness continued to affect treatment outcomes.

“Recognising early warning signs such as unexplained fever, persistent fatigue, weight loss, recurrent infections or unusual bleeding can help ensure timely diagnosis and treatment,” Dr. Naveen said.

He said awareness about blood cancers remained limited among the public, leading many patients to seek medical attention only after the disease had significantly progressed.

“Early diagnosis can make a major difference, especially in aggressive blood cancers where chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation can substantially improve survival outcomes. At Kidwai, we have done 147 stem cell transplants so far,” he said.

Stem cell transplantation

Doctors said stem cell transplantation remained one of the most effective treatments for several blood cancers, but access was severely constrained by the shortage of matching donors and limited donor registries.

Experts noted that nearly 70% of patients requiring stem cell transplants depended on unrelated donors, while only around 0.09% of India’s population was registered as blood stem cell donors.

Patrick Paul, executive chairman, DKMS Foundation India, said India continued to face a critical shortage of registered donors despite the growing number of patients requiring transplants every year.

“For many blood cancer patients, finding a matching donor in time can mean the difference between life and death. Participation from young individuals, educational institutions, corporates, and communities is critical to help strengthen the donor registry and give more patients a second chance at life,” he said.

Nitin Agarwal, head of Donor Request Management, DKMS Foundation India, said misconceptions about stem cell donation remained a major barrier.

“Many people still believe the process is painful or highly invasive, whereas in most cases, donation is similar to blood donation and recovery is usually quick,” he said.

Potential donors

According to the organisation, DKMS Foundation India has registered over 2.8 lakh potential blood stem cell donors and facilitated more than 250 stem cell transplants since 2019.

Govind Eriat, consultant hematologist, hemato-oncologist, and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) physician at Gleneagles Hospital, said while India has centres capable of delivering advanced cellular therapies, these resources are overwhelmingly concentrated in corporate tertiary hospitals and select apex public institutes in major Tier-1 cities. The average citizen reliant on mass-care public healthcare faces systemic structural deficits, he said.

How to register

To register as a potential stem cell donor, one must be a healthy adult between 18 and 55 years. Registration requires filling up a simple consent form. A swab of the inside of the cheeks is taken to collect the tissue cells, which are then sent to a lab to be analysed for HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen). The potential donor is then listed anonymously on the international search platform for matching stem cell donors. Eligible individuals can register as blood stem cell donors by ordering a home swab kit at https://www.dkms-india.org/register-now.