Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Man Dies After Rare Cancer Misdiagnosed as Muscle Pull
A man named Harmi had a bad tummy ache that would not go away.
He thought he had pulled a muscle when he was exercising.
The ache was actually something much more serious, a rare kind of cancer.
This cancer grows in tiny tubes called bile ducts that help your body digest food.
Because the signs looked like normal aches, the cancer was not found for a long time.
By the time doctors found it, Harmi was very sick, and his skin had turned yellow.
He tried many treatments, but the cancer was too strong, and he died.
His story teaches us that some sicknesses hide behind common symptoms.
It also reminds us that if a pain does not go away, it is important to see a doctor.
Harmi Kainth, 59, developed abdominal pain in March 2022 which he believed was a pulled abdominal muscle.
After a month of persistent pain and unusual tiredness, his wife Sharan urged him to see a doctor, where blood tests led to acid reflux tablets being prescribed.
Over five months his condition deteriorated quickly: he lost more than four stones, developed jaundice and brown urine, lost his appetite and suffered constant hiccups.
A CT scan confirmed cholangiocarcinoma on August 5, about four to five months after he first saw a doctor; he died in October 2024, aged 62.
Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare bile duct cancer with vague early symptoms, and treatment can include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and stents.
- Who
- Harmi Kainth, whose family includes his wife Sharan and daughters Tasha and Serena.
- What
- He died of cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts, after the illness was initially treated as a muscle pull and then as acid reflux.
- When
- Symptoms began in March 2022, a CT scan confirmed the cancer on August 5, and he died in October 2024.
- Where
- Not specified in the article.
- Why
- The cancer's vague early symptoms made diagnosis difficult, and it was formally confirmed only four to five months after he first saw a doctor.
- Patient
- Harmi Kainth, aged 59 when symptoms began
- Condition
- Cholangiocarcinoma (rare bile duct cancer)
- First symptoms
- Abdominal pain and unusual tiredness from March 2022, believed to be a pulled muscle
- Diagnosis
- Confirmed by CT scan on August 5, about four to five months after first seeing a doctor
- Key warning signs
- Jaundice, brown urine, loss of appetite, weight loss of more than four stones, constant hiccups
- Treatments
- Chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgeries
- Death
- October 2024, aged 62