Diagnosis matters: Cancer in thumb almost killed him
Umesh Anand
Civil Society News, New Delhi
Published: Nov. 14, 2025 | Updated: Mar. 23, 2026
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THERE are nine fingers that SC has now. The thumb of his right hand was removed to save him from sarcoma, a form of cancer that affects joints and tissues. Amputation is required to remove the affected part and save the rest of the body.
In SC’s case, it was done just in time. When he looks back on the call that he made to fly out to America and undergo surgery, he realizes how close it all was.
The problem began with the thumb beginning to swell. At first, he didn’t bother about it. A slight inflammation was no big deal. He had been a TV anchor and spent more than two decades as a journalist. Caught up in the hurly-burly of headlines, one tends not to think about one’s health. The days fly by in a blur. There is a blissful invincibility in a life of daily deadlines.
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