Did a survey reveal ‘time bomb’ after screening 2.93 lakh women in Maharashtra for cancer? Fact Check

A tweet posted on July 12, 2025, by NDTV India claimed that a cancer time bomb had exploded in Maharashtra, with 14,000 women affected. The accompanying video provided more details about the screening efforts conducted in the Hingoli district, where the report was described as nothing less than a ticking time bomb of illness.

Posted at 12:04 AM, the tweet read : “महारा समाचार: महारा मकसर का टाइम बम फटा! एक ह जि लेक 14,000 महि लाएंबीमार”/ “Maharashtra News : A cancer bomb in Maharashtra : 14000 women diagnosed from one district”. Find the tweet which has gained nearly 190,000 views
below:

महाराष्ट्र समाचार: महाराष्ट्र में कैंसर का टाइम बम फटा! एक ही जिले की 14,000 महिलाएं बीमार#Maharashtra | #Cancer | #Health pic.twitter.com/aQ15BTRCN3

— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) July 11, 2025

Translated, it reads:”Maharashtra News: Cancer time bomb explodes in Maharashtra! 14,000 women from a single district are ill.”

An extrapolation of the same can be seen here:

All 14,000 Hindus.

— Roger That (ರಾಜರ್ ದಟ್) {Human Family} (@Rgr_Tht_) July 12, 2025

Essentially, this news has suggested that there are about 14,500 women who would emerge as the victims of cancer.

FACT CHECK

While this is certainly concerning in all ways possible, the claims in the post are not what they exactly suggest. For instance, 39 seconds into the video, one frame suggests that “14,000 महि लाओंको कसर क सभं ावना पाई गई” meaning 14,000 women were found to have potential cancer.

This in itself is contradictory in nature, as these findings identify the women as having potential risk factors or symptoms during the screening. It is not confirmed that all of them have cancer. At the 54-second mark, the video mentions that 3,00,000 women were
screened, out of which 3,733 were found with symptoms of oral cancer, 7,524 were at risk of cervical cancer, and 2,699 were at risk of breast cancer. The survey never mentioned any religion of those screened either as remarked by an X user.

However, these are only speculations and cancer-like symptoms stating no confirmed cases. In reality, State Health Minister Prakash Abitkar himself stated that “So far, three have been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, one with breast cancer and eight with oral cancer after
screening and tests.”

Prakash Abitkar has also acknowledged that such kind of news is misleading. He said: “The Maharashtra Health Department is carrying out a health checkup of people, especially women. We are following the motto of ‘prevention is better than cure’. We conducted a
health checkup of 3 lakh people in Hingoli. Out of all of them, 19 people showed symptoms of cancer. Media reports saying that a lot of people have been diagnosed with cancer are not right. There has been a mismatch in figures.” Find this post by the ANI below:

#WATCH | Kolhapur, Maharashtra: On reports of several cases of cancer suddenly emerging among women, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar says, “The Maharashtra Health Department is carrying out a health checkup of people, especially women. We are following the motto of… pic.twitter.com/Vo6lSv6vwu

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2025

The Print and the NDTV quoted a PTI report which quoted Maharashtra health minister informing the state assembly that the survey called Sanjivini was undertaken to survey nearly 2.93 lakh women since March 8, 2025. However, in the same tone, the minister said that only 12 were confirmed to have cancer at the time of reporting. This includes 3 cases of uterine cancer, 1 case of breast cancer, and 8 cases of oral cancer. The article in Print can be found here.

All reports quoting the PTI news agency have made it clear that a total of 2,92,996 were surveyed since March 8 there, during which they had to answer a questionnaire related to cancer symptoms and 12 have so far been found with cancer. However, to conclude that all 14,542 women found with cancer-like symptoms would be future cancer patients would make it far-fetched exaggeration.  Hence, the claim is misleading.

Claim: 14,000 women in Maharashtra have been diagnosed with cancer.
Conclusion: Misleading. It refers to the screening result and “cancer-like symptoms” rather than confirmed cases. Only 12 women were actually diagnosed.
Rating: Misleading —