What is saree cancer and why it occurs? Know how to prevent it

Written By Pooja Makkar | Updated: Apr 01, 2024, 06:37 PM IST

Saree cancer accounts for 1 percent of all cancers found in women in India.

Saree, identity of Indian woman, is a beautiful garment of five and a half to six meters length and liked all over the world. But saree can cause cancer. Apart from this, other clothes which, if worn incorrectly, can cause cancer. Saree cancer is found only in India because saree is worn by women mostly in India.

In many parts of India, women wear saree in all 12 months of the year and seven days a week. To tie the saree, the cotton petticoat is tied tightly around the waist with cotton thread. According to Dr. Vivek Gupta, cancer surgeon of PSRI Hospital, Delhi, if a woman wears the same garment for a long time, it starts rubbing on her waist, the skin there starts peeling and turning black. It is in this cycle of repeated peeling and repair that cancer can begin.

Cleanliness is more responsible for saree cancer than dress. In areas where there is high heat and humidity, the risk of getting this cancer is higher. Its cases are still being reported from Bihar and Jharkhand. Saree cancer accounts for 1 percent of all cancers found in women in India. In medical language, it is called Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC).

Research on this has also been done at RN Cooper Hospital in Mumbai. Dhoti was also included in this research. The name saree cancer was given by the doctors of Bombay Hospital, where a 68-year-old woman was found to have saree cancer. The woman was wearing saree since she was 13 years old.

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What is Kangri cancer?

Similarly, Kangri cancer is found in Kashmir. This is also skin cancer. This cancer is reported only from Kashmir. During extremely cold days, people there sit with fire in an earthen pot like a fireplace inside their clothes, so that they get warmth, but this continuous heat received by there stomach and thighs can become the cause of cancer.

Similarly, very tight fit jeans have been considered responsible for cancer in men. In fact, if very tight clothes are worn for hours then they harm the body. The flow of oxygen in that area may get disturbed. According to research, jeans increase the temperature in the lower abdomen in men, which can reduce sperm count and also lead to testicular cancer (ovarian cancer). However, concrete results of this research are yet to come.

  • Now the question is, how tight should be considered very tight?
  • If there are marks on the skin
  • The skin is turning red due to tightness
  • When you have trouble breathing
  • Rubbed skin

If someone is continuously wearing tight clothes, then he/she needs to be careful. If innerwear like bra and underwear are very tight then definitely pay attention. Such a risk should be taken once a month only in the name of fashion. Tight clothes worn for gym can also cause problems, but because those clothes are worn for a limited time, they cause less problems.