Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday urged people to play a pivotal role in raising public awareness on the "dreaded disease" of cancer.

Tweeting on the National Cancer Awareness Day, Dr. Sarma informed that the state government has been "prioritising cancer care" by taking multiple initiatives including the establishment of Assam Cancer Care Foundation.

"On #NationalCancerAwarenessDay, let us all play our part in raising public awareness about the dreaded disease. Prioritising cancer care, we've already taken multiple initiatives, including setting up of #AssamCancerCareFoundation, to ensure treatment in every corner of Assam," the Chief Minister tweeted.

A research by the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in February this year revealed that cancer cases in the northeast are projected to rise by a steep 13.5% by 2025,. The projected number of cancer cases for the year 2025 is estimated to be 57,131 (30,985 in males and 26,146 in females).

The situation is even more alarming in Assam where one in four men and one in six women of the state are at the risk of developing cancer, which is the highest in India.

National Cancer Awareness Day was first announced in September 2014 by then Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, with November 7 chosen for the occasion to coincide with the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Marie Curie, who was born on this date in 1867, and whose works led to the development of radiotherapy to treat cancer.