Veteran actress Aruna Irani has opened up about battling breast cancer twice. She says she didn’t want to undergo chemotherapy due to fear of hair loss.
Veteran actress Aruna Irani has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer twice. One of the most common types of cancer, breast cancer struck her twice. She was first diagnosed with it in 2015 after she got unwell while working. She felt that something was wrong. At the time, her lump was small. Still, she chose to get it surgically removed. But when she was told to undergo chemotherapy, she initially backed out fearing she would lose her hair. Aruna Irani calls that decision a “mistake.”
Aruna Irani on breast cancer diagnosis for the first time
Aruna Irani, who is almost 80, recalled the time she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Back in 2015, Aruna Irani, who made her acting debut in the movie Gunga Jumna in 1961, she sensed something was wrong while working on a project. “Aise hi ek din shooting kar rahi thi, pata nahi mujhe kaise pata laga par maine bola ‘Mujhe kuch lag raha hai’ (One day, I was shooting as usual. I don’t know how, but I just felt something and said, ‘I feel like something’s wrong’),” she told Lehren.
Then she consulted a doctor, who told her that she had a small lump on her breast. Even though the doctor found it to be minor, Aruna Irani didn’t want to wait for it to grow big. So, she insisted on having a surgery to remove it. “On the fourth day, I started working. I was hale and hearty. It was not like I was having headaches,” recalled Aruna Irani.
Her doctor had recommended chemotherapy, which is most often used to treat cancer, but she declined. She feared the cancer treatment would affect her looks and affect her acting career. “Then the doctor said you will have to take a pill, and I chose that as I was working. How would I shoot if I lose my hair?” said Aruna Irani, who is one of the many people who are concerned about chemotherapy-induced hair loss. A study, published in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal, showed that 56.4 percent participants felt that hair loss was the worst side effect of chemotherapy.
Aruna Irani battles cancer again
Aruna Irani got diagnosed with cancer again in 2020. “Meri hi galti thi, as pehle maine chemotherapy nahi lee this (It was my fault because I did not undergo chemotherapy the first time). This time around, I took it,” she said.
Aruna Irani did experience hair loss, but it grew back after a while. “Still, you lose a bit of your hair, but woh jaldi aa bhi jaate hai (it grows back quickly),” added the actress, who was also diagnosed with diabetes at 60. Now at 78, she is fit, but at one point, doctors also told her that her kidneys were not functioning properly.
What is breast cancer?
It is a disease in which breast cells that are not normal grow out of control and turn to tumours, which can spread throughout the body and become deadly if not checked on time. Breast cancer was the cause of 6,70, 000 deaths in 2022 in the world, according to the World Health Organization.
If you have breast cancer, you may notice:
- A lump in one or both breasts, chest or armpit
- Dimpling or redness in the skin of your breast
- A change in size or shape of your breasts
- Nipple discharge without being pregnant
How to treat breast cancer?
The treatment for breast cancer depends on:
- The size of the tumour
- If it has gone beyond the breast and spread to other parts of your body
- Your general health
Surgery is the main treatment for breast cancer in women, according to the UK’S National Health Service. Other common treatments for this type of cancer include:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy
- Treatment with hormones
- Targeted medicines
- Immunotherapy
Aruna Irani fought breast cancer two times in private. She shared that she made a mistake when she turned down chemotherapy due to fear of hair loss. Now, she is fit and well.
