Last week, a younger colleague came up to me and said: “A patient told me today, ‘Please do the surgery yourself. Don’t delegate it to someone else.’” To most people, this may sound like a simple request. But to a surgeon, it represents something much deeper. Not very long ago, patients would ask whether I […]

Some moments stay with you long after a conference is over. I was recently invited as faculty for an esophageal cancer conference at my alma mater, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. After the panel discussion, a young man came up to introduce himself. He introduced himself as an MBBS student from a medical college in […]

Last week, I had the opportunity to conduct a panel discussion at the national ICON (Indian Co-operative Oncology Network) conference on an increasingly important topic in modern breast cancer care: axillary de-escalation. The discussion reflected a major shift happening in oncology today. For decades, breast cancer surgery often followed the philosophy that “more surgery means […]

After an enriching surgical and academic journey across St. John’s Medical College Hospital and Manipal Hospitals over the past two decades, I recently joined Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, as Senior Consultant – Surgical Oncology. This transition is particularly significant for me since, in over twenty years of surgical practice, this is only the second time I […]

Some transitions are easier to announce than to truly process. As I move on from Manipal Hospitals, I’ve been reflecting on the journey over the past several years – and it’s one filled with gratitude. My time at Manipal Hospitals has been deeply meaningful. At the main unit, it was a place of growth – […]

Last week, a 13-year-old patient handed me a beautiful painting she had made herself. It was thoughtful, colorful, and unmistakably sincere. In my practice, I have realized that gifts like these are never about the object itself. They are small windows into gratitude – the patient’s way of saying something that words sometimes struggle to […]

Last week, I had the opportunity to perform my first surgery using the Toumai robotic surgical platform developed by MedBot – one of the earliest installations of this technology in India. As surgeons, we constantly witness the evolution of technology, and it is important that we harness these advances for the benefit of our patients. […]

Below is the link to a recently performed robotic left adrenalectomy for a 14-year-old girl diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome secondary to an adrenocortical tumor. Pediatric adrenal tumors are uncommon, and managing hormone-secreting lesions in this age group requires careful multidisciplinary planning involving endocrinology, anesthesia, critical care, and surgical oncology teams. A robotic approach was chosen […]

As an invited faculty to the Manipal Surgical Oncology Conference last week, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The energy, academic rigor, and collegiality on display were truly impressive. What stood out most was the young and dynamic Department of Surgical Oncology at Kasturba Medical College, led by Dr Naveen Kumar and Dr Nawaz Usman. […]