India lacks a national cancer notification policy, hindering public health strategies despite a projected 74% increase in cases by 2045. Existing registries offer limited data. Though 17 states have independently mandated cancer notification, the Health Ministry restricts it to communicable diseases. The author stresses the critical need for comprehensive national data, as recommended by ICMR, to formulate an evidence-based cancer control program. Making cancer a nationwide notifiable disease is essential, transforming an initial increase in recorded cases into a vital public health resource.