[Urgent] Do I have to tell them that doctors suspect I have cancer?!

Hello everyone.

I applied for MEXT scholarship for research students for 2014 and I was granted the scholarship but I had to withdraw for family reasons. Now I am applying again. I've passed the examinations and I have an interview tomorrow.

I wonder if I should tell the interviewers that doctors suspect I have cancer?!!! I have been having mild abdominal pain and vomiting for more than two months but I don't feel too ill or anything; i go to work and can do my daily activities etc etc. The results of all the blood tests I've done are normal, but last week i had upper endoscopy done and doctors suspected that i had oesophageal cancer.

They took biopsies from the stomach and I have an appointment next week. They couldn't take biopsies from the esophagus for some reasons. Actually they didn't tell me that i may have cancer, but I work in the hospital and i have access to the hospital's records. So I had a look at my file and I found out about cancer...

What do you think guys? If I don't win the scholarship than having to tell them about that or not won't make a difference, but what if i got the scholarship and later found out that i have cancer? i would definitely choose to stay in my country and get treated. ((

i really want to go to Japan. so at the same time i don't really want to tell them about what the doctors think...

I'd say go for it, but isn't there a medical exam of some kind that's required?

First of all, I'm very sorry about your situation and wish you all the best! If I was in your place - and in light of the fact that you haven't been officially diagnosed with cancer - I'd proceed with the interviews and see how things turn out. Don't cross the bridge until you come to it, as they say.

Good luck with the interview and my very best wishes for your health!

My absolutely rough guess is that if they haven't mentioned it to you, especially with normal WBC counts, it's just a possibility they're ruling out in their differential. My evaluation and Tx notes contain a lot of possibilities I'm ruling out. If there's even a hint of a significant disorder or disease I note it. I see a lesion in the mouth when doing my oral peripheral exam and I note all sorts of things about it and the likelihood of oral cancer, even if extremely slight. Then, I refer to people who know a lot more about cancer than I do!

I wouldn't mention it until the doctors mentioned it to me. You don't have a Dx, and if at some point you do then at that time you can bring it up and I'm sure the scholarship people will understand.

I would, on the other hand, be extremely proactive about getting with my doctor, if only to alleviate the stress and concern.

Better to wait till you get all your test results back and possibly even get a second opinion. Over the years I have been told 3 times that it looked like I had cancer and each time it was a false alarm.

the rs_guidelines_e_2016.pdf mentions only the following:
(5) Health: Applicants must be free from any mental or physical disabilities that would impede the pursuit of study at Japanese graduate school.
However if you got selected it means you passed the medical check and there is nothing on paper that official says that you indeed have cancer.
So I don't think your obligated to inform MEXT about this.

Also I have a feeling that disclosing this information will lower your chance to get the scholarship before they make it official.
Wouldn't it be a waste to let this scholarship slide because of the uncertainty that you may have cancer? without you knowing for sure?
I also agree with WonkoTheSane that it is in your best interest to find out more about this before you actually go, for MEXT and yourself.