Almost every week, Dr Jeyhan Dhabhar, Consultant Medical Oncology & Immunotherapy Specialist, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre sits across from someone who says the same thing, often with tears in their
eyes, “Doctor, I thought it was nothing.”
Because cancer doesn’t always arrive dramatically. It doesn’t always come with unbearable pain or a sudden collapse. Often, it tiptoes in quietly, as tiredness that doesn’t go away, a voice that stays hoarse a little too long, a change in bowel habits that feels awkward to talk about, or a lump you hope will disappear on its own.
“Cancer isn’t always silent,” says Dr Dhabhar. “Sometimes, it whispers and gives us subtle signs, and we ignore them.”
Long, busy working hours, managing families, deadlines, and responsibilities within this fast-paced lifestyle, we tend to ignore our bodies. We normalise discomfort. We tell ourselves we’re being dramatic. We promise to see a doctor “after this week,” “after this function,” or “once things settle down.”
But bodies don’t work on calendars. “What breaks my heart most isn’t the disease, it’s the delay,” shares Dr Dhabhar. “The months lost to denial, fear, or reassurance from well-meaning people saying, ‘It’s probably nothing.’”
Sometimes, patients sense that something is wrong, but the fear of hearing the word “cancer” feels heavier than the symptom itself. So they wait. They hope. They pray it will pass.
“And sometimes, by the time they walk into my clinic, the cancer has already found its footing,” he adds.
There is also shame especially with cancers involving intimate parts of the body. People suffer silently with bowel changes, abnormal bleeding, difficulty swallowing, or unexplained weight loss because talking about it feels uncomfortable. Health becomes a private burden instead of a shared concern.
“What many don’t realise,” explains Dr Dhabhar, “is that early cancer often doesn’t hurt much. And when caught early, it is often simpler to treat with less aggressive therapy, better outcomes, and sometimes even a cure.”
Late-stage cancer is not just medically harder, it is emotionally heavier. For patients. For families. For doctors, too.
“Every oncologist carries the quiet weight of cases that could have been different if action had come sooner,” says Dr Dhabhar.
Screening is another missed opportunity. We don’t wait for our cars to break down before servicing them, yet we wait for our bodies to fail before checking them. Breast exams, Pap smears, and colon screenings aren’t about expecting bad news, they’re about protecting time. Time to live. Time with loved ones.
“The truth is, access to healthcare has improved in many places,” notes Dr Dhabhar. “What still lags behind is awareness and courage. The courage to listen to your body. The courage to ask questions. The courage to get checked even when you’re scared.”
Cancer isn’t always silent. Sometimes, it is knocking gently. “The real tragedy is not that cancer exists,” concludes Dr Jeyhan Dhabhar, “but that too often, we hear it too late.”
