Chennai, Oct 30: The ‘Hyundai Hope for Cancer’ Initiative, jointly launched by Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Hyundai Motor India Foundation, has performed cancer screening for more than 2,800 individuals across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Haryana in the month of October 2026. This exercise was initiated to mark ‘Pink October’, the international breast cancer awareness month.
As part of this outreach, a cancer screening camp held today in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, benefitted over 400 individuals by providing access to screening services and reinforcing the importance of early detection.
The October 2026 outreach included screening of more than 1,700 individuals in Tamil Nadu, over 600 in Maharashtra and over 500 in Haryana. These efforts reflect the initiative’s continued focus on improving cancer awareness, facilitating access to timely screening and encouraging guided medical consultation.
Highlighting the importance of such initiatives towards early cancer detection, Prof. S. Mahalingam, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, said,
“Early cancer detection saves lives. Through community-based screening and awareness, we can encourage timely diagnosis, improve treatment outcomes and reduce the burden of cancer.”
Hyundai Motor India Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited. Its goal is to focus on holistic growth in areas of environment & sustainability, healthcare, women empowerment & social welfare, education and skill development.
Mr. Mukundan M. S. Chief Manufacturing Officer, Hyundai Motor India Limited & Trustee HMIF, said,
“At Hyundai Motor India Foundation, we are committed to making preventive healthcare more accessible. The ‘Pink October’ outreach is a reflection of our efforts to raise awareness, promote early detection and support better health outcomes for communities.”
‘PINK OCTOBER’
Pink October is observed internationally to raise awareness of breast cancer, encourage early detection and highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Through community outreach and screening camps, the ‘Hyundai Hope for Cancer’ Initiative seeks to improve understanding of cancer warning signs and encourage individuals to seek medical advice.
Till date, the initiative has conducted more than 420 free cancer screening camps nationwide, reaching over 72,000 individuals, while over 3,600 individuals have been identified for follow-ups. As many as 20 confirmed cancer cases were identified through the programme. These efforts underline the role of accessible screening services in identifying individuals who may require further medical assessment.
Free cancer screening camps were conducted in Maharashtra on 15 and 16 October, 2026 at New English School, Vadgaon–Maval, Pune, screening 500 plus individuals. The initiative also supported HPV vaccination at MIMER Hospital, Talegaon–Maval, Pune, where close to 250 girl students received vaccinations.
Recognising the importance of prevention to reduce future burden of cancer, the initiative supports HPV vaccination for eligible children and adolescents. It aims to facilitate 5,000 HPV vaccinations, with approximately 1,000 vaccinations administered till now.
‘HELPING CHILDREN WITH CANCER’
The ‘Hyundai Hope for Cancer’ Initiative also provides financial assistance towards cancer treatment for eligible paediatric patients. This support aims to help children and their families manage the financial challenges associated with cancer care and access necessary treatment. By combining treatment assistance with screening, prevention and research, the initiative seeks to address the needs of children affected by cancer and their families while contributing to wider efforts to improve access to cancer care.
HMIF and IIT Madras are bringing together community-based screening, preventive healthcare, paediatric treatment assistance and advanced scientific research through ‘Hyundai Hope for Cancer’ Initiative. The INR 64 crore project was launched in December 2024 and brings together free cancer screening, human papillomavirus vaccination for eligible children and adolescents, financial assistance for paediatric cancer treatment, and advanced cancer genomics research at IIT Madras.
HMIF supports this initiative to address multiple stages of the cancer-care journey, from prevention and early detection to treatment support and scientific research.
The initiative supports advanced cancer genomics research through the Hyundai Centre for Cancer Genomics at IIT Madras. The research focuses on understanding the molecular and genetic characteristics of cancer, with the aim of generating insights that could inform future advances in early diagnosis, disease classification and treatment research.
To date, whole-genome sequencing has been completed on close to 900 cancer samples, alongside transcriptome sequencing of close to 800 samples. These efforts aim to advance our understanding of cancer biology and support the development of evidence-based, precision approaches to cancer care.
The broader cancer genomics ecosystem at IIT Madras also includes the Bharat Cancer Genome Atlas, an open resource documenting the genomic landscape of cancers in India. By supporting research into cancer-associated genetic variations in the Indian population, such resources can contribute to a stronger evidence base for future research and clinical advances.
