According to medical professionals, lung and oral cancers were the most common among men while cervix and breast cancer were striking more and more women.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in India, which has nearly three million patients suffering from the disease, they said.

Annually, nearly 500,000 people die of cancer in India. The WHO said this number is expected to rise to 700,000 by 2015.

"The number of cancer cases in India is increasing every year," P. K. Julka, head of the oncology department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told us.

According to WHO, lung, oral, lip, throat and neck cancers are the most common among men while women suffer more from cervix, breast and ovarian cancers.

"Incidence of cancer has increased in India, especially prostate cancer in elderly men besides kidney, penis and intestine cancer," Nayan Kumar Mohanty, director, Department of Urology, Saket City Hospital said.

Manju Khemani, Head of the Department, Institute of Obs and Gynae at the hospital, said: "Cervical cancer is the second most common in women worldwide. Unlike some other cancers, it strikes as early as 32-35 years of age."