The need for mobile applications in hospital-based cancer registries in India: A framework for ABDM-integrated surveillance.

BACKGROUND Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) are vital for cancer surveillance under India's National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP). However, most HBCRs rely on retrospective, manual, or semi-digital workflows, leading to delayed, incomplete, and non-standardized data.

OBJECTIVE To critically review existing evidence and propose a mobile application-based framework integrated with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to enhance HBCR data capture, standardization, and interoperability.

METHODS This short narrative review synthesizes published evidence from Indian HBCRs, mobile health applications in cancer care, and comparable low- and middle-income country (LMIC) experiences to identify operational challenges and inform registry-support mobile application design.

RESULTS Mobile applications enable real-time data entry, improve coding accuracy, reduce duplication, and support longitudinal tracking through ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) identifiers. Evidence from India and other LMICs demonstrates improved data completeness and workflow efficiency when mobile systems are integrated with routine care processes.

CONCLUSION ABDM-integrated mobile applications represent a scalable and sustainable approach to strengthening HBCRs and supporting evidence-based cancer surveillance and planning in India.