The Earliest Win Starts At Zero-Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai and Apollo Proton Cancer Centre launches Campaign ZERO TO HERO for World Cancer Day
Chennai, 09 February 2026: Building on the focus around World Cancer Day globally, Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai and Apollo Proton Cancer Centre have launched the ‘ZERO TO HERO’ campaign to drive greater awareness around Stage Zero Cancer detection and enabling better survival and recovery.
Cancer cases in India are rising sharply, with over 15 lakh new diagnoses reported in 2024, and numbers continue to increase each year, according to ICMR-NCRP data presented in Parliament. With one in nine Indians now at lifetime risk, cancer has emerged as a pressing public health concern. Yet, over 70% of cases are identified only at late stages (III, IV), when treatment is tougher, outcomes are poorer, and the financial strain on families is significantly higher.
Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai and Apollo Proton Cancer Centre hosted an expert-led interaction as part of the ‘ZERO TO HERO’ campaign, an initiative focused on driving awareness around Stage Zero cancer detection and the life-saving impact of early diagnosis. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Ayyappan, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, and brought together a multidisciplinary panel of oncologists, including Dr. R. Srivathsan, Consultant, Uro-oncology and Robotic Surgery, Dr. P. Venkat, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Dr. Asha Reddy, Consultant, Breast Surgery, Dr. Ajit Pai, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Dr. Senthil Kumar A. C., Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, and Dr. Senthil Kumar Ganapthi, Senior Consultant, Surgical Gastroenterology. The panel highlighted how early detection across cancer types enables simpler, more effective treatment, better survival outcomes, and improved quality of life, reinforcing the campaign’s core message that the earliest diagnosis gives patients their strongest chance to move from cancer to recovery.
In response to the alarming trends, Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai and Apollo Proton Cancer Centre’s Zero to Hero campaign spotlights the life-changing impact of Stage Zero detection and early intervention, turning a diagnosis into a story of survival. The initiative celebrates individuals who took timely action and emerged as heroes through awareness, access and prompt care. Though each cancer is unique (brain, breast, neck, lung, pancreas, liver, etc.), but these survivors are united by early diagnosis. Their collective journeys underscore the importance of catching cancer early, it can save lives.
Mr. Harshad Reddy, Director, Group Oncology and International, Apollo Hospitals Enterprprise Ltd, said, “Early detection is not just a medical priority, it is a systems priority. The data consistently show that early-stage cancers have markedly higher disease-free survival and longer median survival compared to late-stage diagnoses. At Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai and Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, we constantly strive to move beyond treatment to prevention and early detection. Recognising these cases early strengthens our cancer registries, enables faster care pathways, and helps more patients transition from diagnosis to survivorship. This approach has the potential to transform cancer care from reactive to proactive cancer control.”
Mr. Karan Puri, Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre and Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai, said, “Cancer does not begin at Stage Three or Stage Four, it begins quietly, often before symptoms appear. At Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai and Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, the ‘Zero to Hero’ campaign is our way of shifting the conversation from late-stage rescue to early-stage wins. When cancer is detected at Stage Zero or Stage One, treatment is simpler, outcomes are stronger, and lives return to normal sooner. This campaign is about empowering people to act early, ask questions, and come forward without fear. Because the earliest diagnosis gives patients the greatest chance not just to survive cancer, but to live fully beyond it.
