‘8 months back I got ..’: Parched Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis; Film Fraternity Reacts
‘8 months back I got ..’: Parched Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis; Film Fraternity Reacts
Actor Tannishtha Chatterjee, known for films like Joram, Parched, and Angry Indian Goddesses, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 oligometastatic breast cancer. She shared the news with her followers through an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, August 24 along with a picture of herself with a shaved head.
Tannishtha Chatterjee’s Emotional Post
In her post, Tannishtha wrote that the past eight months had been extremely difficult for her. She said she was still dealing with the pain of losing her father to cancer when she herself was diagnosed with stage 4 oligometastatic cancer.
The actor said that despite the pain, she wanted to focus on the gratitude she feels for the women and friends who have stood beside her during this period. She shared another photo where she is seen with Shabana Azmi, Dia Mirza, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vidya Balan, and Divya Dutta, calling them her support system.
She explained that in her darkest moments, her friends and family showed her compassion and gave her courage. She said that in a world driven by technology, it was the humanity and empathy of her close ones that helped her find hope. “It is their empathy, their messages, their presence, their humanity, that is bringing life back,” she wrote in her note.
In her post, Tannishtha also celebrated the bond she shares with her female friends in the industry. She called it a sisterhood that stood by her with “fierce love, deep empathy, and unstoppable strength.” Tagging her friends, she concluded with a message of gratitude, writing, “Cheers to female friendships.”
Who Is Tannishtha Chatterjee?
Tannishtha Chatterjee has worked in Indian as well as international films. She was most recently seen in Bindiya Ke Bahubali, which was released on August 8 and is available to stream for free on Amazon MX Player.
She gained recognition in the West for her role in the British film Brick Lane (2007), adapted from Monica Ali’s novel, which earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the British Independent Film Awards. She also worked in German director Florian Gallenberger’s Shadows of Time, alongside Irrfan Khan, Prashant Narayanan, and Tillotama Shome. In India, her performance in Leena Yadav’s Parched, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, brought her widespread acclaim. She has also acted in the Australian romantic comedy UnIndian with cricketer Brett Lee, a role that won her the Best Actress award.
What Is Oligometastatic Breast Cancer?
Oligometastatic breast cancer is a type of metastatic breast cancer where the disease has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body, but only in a limited way. The term “oligo” means “few” in Greek, which refers to a small number of metastatic lesions, usually three to five.
Unlike widespread metastatic cancer, oligometastatic disease affects only a few areas. Some doctors define it as five or fewer metastatic sites, while others consider three or fewer as the cut-off.
This condition can occur in different ways: it may be diagnosed at the same time as breast cancer (synchronous), appear as the first diagnosis (de novo), or return after earlier treatment (recurrence). Sometimes, cancer treatment may shrink widespread disease into a few remaining lesions, a state called induced oligometastases.
Oligometastatic breast cancer often does not cause symptoms and may be discovered incidentally during tests for other conditions. It is more commonly hormone receptor-positive or HER2-positive, rather than triple-negative.
Because there has been little research on this condition, there are no standard treatment guidelines. Doctors usually design treatment plans based on each patient’s situation.
