The Veiled Tumour

While Arun Jaitley’s cancer diagnosis remains unconfirmed, the speculation has put a focus on rare cancers of the soft tissue.

- Namita Kohli

IN JANUARY, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley left for the United States just before the crucial budget session. Despite concerns about his health and the uncertainty over who would present the Union Budget, sources maintained that Jaitley had gone for a “regular medical checkup”. However, there are unconfirmed reports that he has been diagnosed with a form of soft tissue sarcoma, and has been undergoing treatment in New York.

The speculation has resulted in a focus on rare cancers of the soft tissue. Soft tissue sarcomas occur in fat, muscles, tendons, nerves, fibrous tissues and blood vessels. A tumour in the soft tissues is not uncommon, but the suffix ‘sarcoma’ is used when a tumour is found to be cancerous.

“Soft tissue sarcomas are rare, and the incidence of the disease is around one to two per cent globally. In India, at a centre such as ours [Tata Memorial Hospital], the figure stands at about 2 per cent only because we are a referral centre,” says Dr Bharat Rekhi, professor, department of pathology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.