Clipped from: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/the-stigma-over-breast-cancer-must-be-challenged/article70172361.ece
Women must prioritise regular check-ups. Families and workplaces should create an enabling environment for women to have safe conversations on breast health
Students take out a 900M Pink walk to create breast cancer awareness in Chennai (file photo) | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ_B
The forests of Kaziranga have long been a testing ground for courage. Forest guards wade through waist-deep floods to protect the rhinos, elephants ferry them across swollen rivers, and those who lead this landscape, shoulder the weight of its wild unpredictability. Therefore, on October 10, 2025, it was a landmark moment when Dr. Sonali Ghosh, the Park’s Field Director, became the first Indian to receive the Kenton Miller Award for global conservation leadership.
Her achievement joins a growing wave of milestones led by Indian women who are reshaping the country’s story. Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation are propelling India to new frontiers through bold space missions that inspire the world. Divya Deshmukh lifted the FIDE Women’s World Cup trophy, claiming her place among the world’s grandmasters. These are not isolated triumphs. They reflect a generational shift in how women in India are breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks in across so many domains. It is a story of persistence and power, of quiet determination and bold vision.
Yet, amid these extraordinary successes, there is a challenge that demands urgent attention. Breast cancer continues to affect millions of women across the country, and in too many cases, the diagnosis comes late. This gap is not about strength or will. It is about silence, stigma, and delay — barriers that must be dismantled with the same resolve that is propelling women to the frontlines of progress.
In India, nearly 60 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, while in high-income countries the figure is only 10 to 20 percent. This is not destiny. It reflects how women’s health is often postponed, overlooked, or silenced. When detected early, survival rates can rise to over 90 percent. When detected late, treatment becomes more complex and expensive, recovery harder, and families more vulnerable to emotional and financial stress.
The challenges
Three challenges keep this problem alive. The first is the nature of the disease itself. In its early stages, breast cancer is often asymptomatic. A woman may feel perfectly healthy while the disease grows quietly. This is why regular mammography is not a formality but a necessity at the age when it is recommended.
The second challenge is silence. Stigma still surrounds open conversations about breast health. Even today, many hesitate to talk about the breast as an organ that deserves attention and care. This discomfort creates dangerous delays.
The third is misplaced reassurance. When a lump or change is noticed, many women dismiss it as something hormonal or temporary. Precious weeks and months are lost while the disease progresses. These three obstacles are not complex medical problems, but are aspects that can be solved with awareness, conversation, and the will to act.
However, an equally big challenge is that for generations, women in India have placed their health at the end of an endless list of responsibilities. Families are nurtured, careers built, homes held together, while personal wellbeing is quietly deferred. Fatigue and pain are brushed aside, routine check-ups are postponed, and discomfort is endured in silence. This quiet resilience, so often celebrated,
becomes dangerous when health systems reflect the same neglect. The consequence is diagnosis at later stages, tougher treatment journeys, higher financial burdens, and, too often, a loss of independence and security. An individual health issue eventually grows into a social and economic challenge.
The cost of late-stage treatment can be up to three times higher than early-stage care. It can disrupt livelihoods, strain household savings, and leave lasting emotional scars on families. A woman’s health is not only her own concern. It shapes the strength of entire communities. When she stays healthy, families stay resilient. When she delays care, everyone pays the price.
Regular check-ups vital
Hence for positive change to begin, the shift must start with how women value their own health. A mammogram is not a luxury. Talking about breast health is not shameful. Seeking medical advice is not weakness. These are acts of power. A woman who takes charge of her health is safeguarding her future and protecting her family’s stability. She is not taking time away from her responsibilities. She is securing the foundation that allows her to carry them.
It is vital that every woman learns about self-examination, schedules regular screenings, and seeks medical help without delay. Likewise, families should encourage and support these decisions. Joining the effort, workplaces and the community should create safe spaces for conversations as breast health must become a matter of routine, and not hesitation. No woman should have to face the darkness of a late diagnosis when the light of early detection is within reach.
Our India stands at a remarkable inflection point. Its women are shaping families, communities, workplaces, and the nation’s future in ways both visible and unseen. This collective force must also be channelled into action that prevents the onset of breast cancer and, more importantly, helps catch it early.
Finally, in a country committed to women-led development, we must ensure that women remain unstoppable in every role they play. Their health must keep pace, for it is the indisputable foundation of their strength and progress.
The writer is the Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited.
Published on October 17, 2025
aniltikotekar4sme.com 