Future Generali India Life Insurance (FGILI), in association with Momspresso, an information website for mothers, has conducted a national survey among women which finds that 80% of respondents know that they need to get regular checkups for breast cancer. However, only 25% of respondents have gone for breast cancer screening.

The survey was conducted with a sample size of 2,225 respondents across 10 key metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad,.

Breast cancer is currently one of the most common cancers affecting women in India. One fourth of all female cancer cases recorded in India suffer from breast cancer.

According to the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Survey’, almost 86% of Indian women are aware that breast cancer is a common ailment. In fact, one in two women feel that they are at risk of breast cancer.

Many of the respondents say that they do not require screening while a significant number reveal that they are not aware of screening for breast cancer. Additionally, respondents also reveal that they are too lazy or too young to undergo screening for the disease.

More than half of the respondents are unaware of the age at which regular screening or examination for the disease should begin. The survey reveals too that two out of three women are unaware that simple self-examination can help them detect the disease at an early stage.

Furthermore, around 60% of women are not comfortable speaking about the disease with their friends and family.

As for the costs of breast cancer treatment that can range between INR250,000 ($3,400) and INR2m, around 50% of the respondents perceive the cost to be less than INR200,000. Around 72% of respondents had no information about specific breast cancer insurance plans.