Wear your petticoat loose to avoid cancer noose

Doctors report treating 'petticoat cancer' in women who might have tied sarees tightly at waist

In a study, doctors have documented treating two women of "petticoat cancer"—a condition possibly triggered by tying the waist cord of a saree's underskirt or petticoat tightly. Constant pressure and friction on one's skin from the waist cord can cause chronic inflammation, leading to ulcers and sometimes, progressing to skin cancer, said the doctors, including those from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Uttar Pradesh.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Case Reports, brought to light "potential health risks associated with traditional clothing practices", one of the affected women said.

Doctors said that while the phenomenon has previously been described as 'saree cancer', it is the tightness of the waist cord that's to blame.

One of the women, a 70-year-old, sought medical attention for a painful skin ulcer on her right flank (present between ribs and hip bone) that she had had for 18 months and which would not heal, the authors described.