Singer Shaan opens up about prostate cancer scare in 2020: 'It turned out it was a false alarm'

Shaan said there are certain taboos, stigmas and fear attached to the word cancer.

Renowned playback singer Shaan recently opened up about a prostate cancer scare he faced five years ago, which thankfully turned out to be a false alarm.

Speaking at the launch of MenCan, an initiative by the Urologic Oncology Disease Management Group (URO DMG) under Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Shaan emphasized the importance of regular health check-ups. He encouraged everyone to prioritize their well-being and not delay medical tests, sharing that his own experience highlighted how crucial early screening can be.

"I had a bit of a prostate scare in 2020, which I want to share with you. It almost led to a point where I was told by a few doctors that this could be prostate cancer, but it turned out it was a false alarm,” he told reporters at the event.

"Since then, I’ve been very, very careful in terms of getting my regular tests done. And that is something that I’ve done on a personal level, which again, when I share with my friends, it’s very ticklish, it’s very funny. Therefore, I realised that it’s something that we need to, you know, create more awareness,” he said.

Shaan said there are certain taboos, stigmas and fear attached to the word cancer. "The word itself, people don’t want to use it, like it’s almost like a scary word,” he said. According to him, he quickly agreed to become the brand ambassador for MenCan because there is a taboo in the society about openly talking about prostate, testicular or penile cancer.

"You don’t want to be forthcoming about it. Get yourself checked, get yourself administered because it feels kind of violated, scary. But we have to get over that because at the end of the day, your health, especially a man’s health, is important. If a man is not in his best health, it’s going to affect the family," he added.

Also read: Urvashi Rautela forgets Dabidi Dibidi lyrics while singing, gets trolled by netizens: "Tu rehne de behan"

Shaan further stated, "We need to talk about it. We need to bring awareness. And so I’m very happy that though I’m completely a lay person in the medical and scientific world, if I can be of any use, if I’ve been chosen to do this, I’ll do my utmost to support MenCan."

Shaan, the well-known voice behind hits like "Tanha Dil," "Musu Musu Hasi," "Jab Se Tere Naina," and "Chand Sifarish," has assumed a new position as the MenCan initiative's brand ambassador. The goal of this non-profit, non-commercial campaign is to address and increase awareness of male testicular, penile, and prostate cancers.

(With inputs from PTI)