CANCER FOUNDATION OF INDIA
Exposure to certain factors can elevate the risk of developing cancer. Reducing exposure to risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, air pollution, and physical inactivity can reduce the risk of several cancers.
Between 30–50% of all cancer cases are preventable. Prevention can be achieved through lifestyle modifications, vaccination, and timely screening, followed by appropriate clinical intervention.
Detecting cancer in its earliest phase gives the best chance of survival. There are identifiable symptoms of cancers in its early stages when the cancer is treatable, often at the lowest cost.
Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) is a registered not-for-profit advancing prevention and cancer control to the forefront of public health by generating credible evidence and scalable health solutions.
A girl who receives an HPV vaccine. A woman who feels able to ask about breast health. A parent reassured by a trusted doctor. Prevention becomes real through moments like these. They are why the Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) exists.
Founded in Kolkata in 2002, CFI brings scientific evidence closer to people’s lives. We listen to communities, understand what holds them back and develop practical ways to make prevention and early detection more accessible.
Our work spans cervical and breast cancer, tobacco control and reliable health information, with a focus on underserved communities, including those in Northeast India. We have contributed to global HPV vaccine research and trained over 45,000 physicians. Through the Beat Cervical Cancer network, we help NGOs put learning into community action. We also support breast health awareness and bring survivors’ experiences into the conversation.
As we enter our 25th year, we remain committed to prevention that people can understand, trust and use.
Service with Purpose.
CFI is bringing cancer prevention closer to communities through CFI’s Beat Cervical Cancer network, connecting NGOs across India with knowledge, training and technical support. Our Community Action Programme supports 20 projects, across India, engaging schools, families and communities in HPV vaccination.
We are creating accessible HPV vaccine resources to help people ask questions and make informed decisions. Alongside this, we are initiating survivorship advocacy, bringing lived experiences into public conversations, and developing a cancer information service to offer reliable, practical guidance. These efforts connect evidence with people’s everyday needs and concerns.
Visit this section regularly to follow new updates on our work.
BCC Network is a national network of 80+ NGOs founded and led by the Cancer Foundation of India since 2024. It builds knowledge, skills and partnerships to strengthen community action on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer elimination across India.
BCC Community Action Programme is supporting 20 NGOs to turn learning into local action for cervical cancer prevention. Through financial support, mentoring and practical resources, it helps NGOs engage schools, communities and survivors to build awareness and confidence in HPV vaccination.
BCC Newsletter is CFI’s monthly publication sharing national and global news, evidence and community experiences on HPV vaccination relevant to India. Published since July 2024, it keeps over 8,000 professionals and community leaders informed.
Cancer cases in India every year
Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer
Women diagnosed with Cervical Cancer every year
New Breast Cancer cases every year
Responding to Northeast India’s high cancer burden, CFI has strengthened government programmes, improved service delivery and built prevention capacity, bringing community needs and research evidence into mainstream public health action.
With capacity building at its core, CFI has equipped nearly 50,000 physicians nationwide to address concerns, build parental confidence, increase HPV vaccination uptake and advance India’s cervical cancer elimination efforts.
Single-dose HPV vaccination expands access today. CFI’s 15-year follow-up of 1,000 girls in Sikkim and Mizoram contributed to IARC-WHO evidence supporting the shift from 3 doses to 2, then one.
CFI continues to stay focused on cancer public health working across the country.
Accomplishments to motivate Team CFI
Global Health Strategies,
New Delhi
UICC, 2008
Reel Lives,
Geneva
CII - Eastern Region, Kolkata
CNCI
Kolkata
V Care Foundation, Mumbai
The Lancet, 2016
Immunogenicity and HPV Infection after one, two, and three doses of Quadrivalent HPV Vaccine in girls in India: A multicenter prospective cohort study
The Authors, 2022
Awareness, perceptions, and choices of physicians pertaining to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination in India: A formative research study
Plos, 2020
Acquisition, prevalence and clearance of type specific Human Papillomavirus Infections in young sexually active Indian women: A community-based multi-centric cohort study
APJCP, 2020
Impact of Educational Level and Family Income on Breast Cancer Awareness among College-Going Girls in Shillong (Meghalaya), India
CFI in Numbers
Way back, on one wintry evening of February 2002 CFI was a stray idea discussed over a casual conversation. And 21 years hence it has become a pioneering NGO for cancer prevention in India. For many CFI is a small NGO that has broken several boundaries that many thought it would not Prof. Maqsood Siddiqi, Founder Chairman, envisioned CFI as a platform for multidisciplinary activities on cancer prevention which lent it a unique structure that many felt was ahead of time.
CFI IS A REGISTERED SOCIETY UNDER THE WEST BENGAL SOCIETIES REGISTRATION ACT.
CFI IS A REGISTERED SIRO (SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION) OF THE GOVT. OF INDIA.
CFI IS FCRA REGISTERED UNDER THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS, GOVT. OF INDIA.