Nov. 12 — Senior Indian National Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has disclosed for the first time that she battled cancer twice in her life, detailing the emotional toll of her diagnoses and the previously undisclosed surgeries she underwent in Italy and the Netherlands in her newly released autobiography.
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, the veteran politician recounts how she overcame both life-threatening episodes through complex surgical interventions, remarkably recovering without undergoing chemotherapy. While Gandhi had never concealed her past health struggles from the public, specific clinical details regarding her diagnosis, treatment locations, and recovery had remained closely guarded for over a decade.
According to the book, Gandhi was first diagnosed with cancer in 2010 after admitting herself to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi for preliminary medical evaluations. Despite expressing full confidence in the physicians and medical infrastructure in India, she opted against undergoing surgery in Delhi, choosing instead to travel to Milan in her native Italy.
Gandhi writes candidly about the acute anxiety triggered by the initial diagnosis, noting that doctors informed her and her children that there was no time to lose and immediate action was required. Explaining her decision to seek treatment abroad, she writes that news of an operation in New Delhi would have ignited intense media frenzy and public spectacle. Even as a prominent public figure, Gandhi felt she was entitled to a degree of personal privacy during her medical ordeal.
In Milan, Gandhi underwent surgery led by prominent oncologist Dr. Umberto Veronesi. Following the procedure, doctors assured her that no trace of cancer remained. Gandhi reveals that surgeons excised two tumors—one of which carried lower clinical suspicion, yet was removed proactively as a precautionary measure. Additionally, she received targeted intraoperative radiation therapy during the procedure itself, sparing her from enduring a grueling five-week course of postoperative radiotherapy.
However, the relief proved short-lived. During a routine medical check-up in 2011, physicians detected a separate tumor on her pancreas, dealing a severe psychological blow to Gandhi and her family, who initially feared a recurrence of the original malignancy. Ahead of the second procedure, she was gripped by anxiety over whether the growth represented metastatic spread.
For her second operation, Gandhi traveled to a medical facility in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she was operated on by renowned surgeon Dr. Casper van Eijck. Post-operative assessments confirmed that the pancreatic tumor had been caught at a remarkably early stage. She remained hospitalized in Rotterdam for four consecutive weeks, with her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staying constantly by her side throughout the ordeal. Although recovery upon returning to New Delhi left her physically weakened for an extended period, Gandhi describes herself as fortunate to have survived both episodes entirely without chemotherapy.
Source: Belonging: A Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi & New Delhi Political Dispatches