It was established in 1951 at the initiative of Naval Tata with noted oncologist Dr. D. J. Jussawalla and as India's first voluntary, non-profit, national organization for awareness, detection, and providing cure and treatment for cancer patients in India.
The facilities with head office in Mumbai was established in 1951[2] and a branch in Delhi was set up in 1983 at behest of K. K. Mehta.
[5][6][7] India's national anti-cancer association, the Indian Cancer Society, was established in 1951, as a registered public trust under Bombay Public Trust Act,1950 and the society's Registration Act, 1860.
[2] The institution is the first and the largest of its kind in Asia and it also established a Rehabilitation centre at Parel, Mumbai, in 1958.
[2] The activities of society includes undertaking complete care of poor cancer patients by offering food, medicines, transport, prostheses, colostomy bags, counselling services, social welfare and job placement services and also helping them in self employment, in particular for those coming from rural areas.