The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the States and Union Territories which have not yet notified cancer as a notifiable disease to consider doing so, stressing the need for a uniform policy for mandatory reporting of cancer cases. “17 States/UTs have already notified cancer as notified disease...in light of recommendations made by Parliamentary Standing Committee in 139th Report,” the Court recorded. The Committee agreed with the suggestion of Tata Memorial Centre that cancer should be classified as a notifiable disease so that cancer deaths would have to be mandatorily reported to the government. It further said that making cancer a notified disease would help create a robust database of cancer deaths and provide more accurate information about the incidence and prevalence of cancer in the country. A notifiable disease is a disease which healthcare professionals or other designated entities are legally required to report to government authorities when it is diagnosed or otherwise comes within the scope of the notification.