Hyderabad doctor reveals hidden cancer risk of wearing sarees, dhotis

The tight knot of the petticoat in the same place, sweat, soiling and continuous use can cause pigmentation, scaling of the waist and even transform to malignancy, the researchers said.

Hyderabad: Women wearing Saree and men with Dhotis for long periods of time and for several years must be aware of Saree Cancer/Pettoicoat cancer/ Dhoti Cancer.

Referring to multiple instances over the years, neurosurgeon and public health speaker from Hyderabad, Dr Sudhir Kumar (@hyderabaddoctor on social media platform X) said that a tight cord tied around the waistline (petticoat, dhoti) often leads to dematoses related to chronic friction adm maceration, resulting in dermatitis and de-pigmentation and in rare cases carcinoma.

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The saree and the petticoat, which is worn underneath the saree to provide support and shape to the garment, are wrapped around the waist tightened by a thick cord. The tight knot of the petticoat in the same place, sweat, soiling and continuous use can cause pigmentation, scaling of the waist and even transform to malignancy, the researchers said.

Due to the tight knot, a 50-year-old woman patient developed itching and later it turned into a non-healing ulcerative lesion on the waistline that required treatment. “She was wearing a saree continuously for 34 years with the knot in the same place. Diagnostic tests suggested ulcerative growth with lymph node metastasis,” the doctors in the paper, published in Dermatology Reports, said.