Director, Surgical Oncology, Fortis Escorts, Okhla, New Delhi
Part 10 of 11 in Advanced Treatments in Gynaec Oncology
Complex International Cases in Gynaecologic and Surgical Oncology
Several of the cases Dr. Pandit presented were not gynaecologic at all, since his practice, and his team's, extends into GI, thoracic and head and neck cancer surgery. Together they illustrate the range and complexity of the cases his hospital takes on from patients referred from outside India.
A 10-kilogram tumour in a patient living with HIV
A Kenyan patient, who was also HIV positive, had a 10-kilogram, 40-centimetre tumour removed from her abdomen. Dr. Pandit's team describes it as the largest tumour ever removed in India and the fourth largest ever removed anywhere in the world.
A first-of-its-kind combined surgery
A Bangladeshi patient underwent what Dr. Pandit's team describes as the first surgery of its kind performed in India: a single combined operation that included both robotic breast cancer surgery and robotic heart surgery. The case was covered widely in Indian newspapers at the time.
A germ cell tumour that changed a young patient's life
A Kenyan girl presented with a roughly 7 to 8 kilogram ovarian germ cell tumour, benign rather than cancerous, that occupied around 70 percent of her abdominal girth on CT imaging and had left her unable to breathe properly. Her weight dropped from 85 to 78 kilograms once the tumour was removed, and Dr. Pandit describes her recovery as a complete change in the quality of her life.
The same disease, after it reached the lung
In a separate case, a germ cell tumour that had originated in the ovary had spread to the lung. Rather than opening the chest, the team used video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, VATS, making small incisions to remove the affected portion of lung. The patient went home within four to five days.
Beyond gynaecology
Two further cases show the range of Dr. Pandit's broader surgical oncology practice: a Tanzanian patient treated for myasthenia gravis with a robotic thymectomy, and an African male patient whose head and neck cancer surgery required reconstructing close to half of his face, with recovery continuing roughly a month after the reconstruction.
This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass — Dr. Archit Pandit taught doctors across Africa on June 22, 2025.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
Dr. Zammenu (Ethiopia)
What advancements has Fortis made for African patients with gynaecologic malignancies, and what are the most recent and frequent surgical treatments and their estimated costs?
Dr. Archit Pandit
Dr. Pandit said no treatment is specific to African patients as such, but pointed to cancer vaccination, for cervical, genital, vaginal and vulval cancers, as an area worth spreading in Africa. On surgery, he named HIPEC as the most significant advancement, now used for ovarian cancer along with peritoneal, appendiceal, colon, rectal and some stomach cancers, transforming outcomes over the last 10 to 15 years for patients previously diagnosed too late for treatment. He also pointed to robotic and laparoscopic surgery for retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, endometriosis and radical hysterectomy, and to sentinel lymph node dissection, which avoids removing the full set of pelvic lymph nodes. Surgical costs range from $5,000 to $7,000, and HIPEC surgery costs $11,000 to $12,000.
Book a Consultation with Dr. Archit Pandit
Book on WhatsAppOr message us on WhatsApp: +91 98182 98669
Frequently Asked Questions
Since HIPEC is used from stage three onward, is it possible to use HIPEC or another technology to operate on a stage two cervical cancer patient?▼
Dr. Pandit said no, HIPEC is not used for cervical cancer at all. It is limited to six cancers: peritoneal, appendiceal, ovarian, colon, rectal and some stomach cancers, and of the gynaecologic cancers, only ovarian and endometrial cancer qualify. Cervical cancer is treated with surgery in its early stages, and with chemotherapy, radiation and sometimes immunotherapy from stage 2B onward.
How can general practitioners from Africa access surgical training courses at Fortis?▼
After clarifying the question was about medicine-side doctors rather than surgeons, Dr. Pandit said they can join as observers, since hands-on training in India is reserved for foreign doctors who are themselves surgeons or gynaecologists. Observers get an overview of cancer care spanning preventive health checkups, medical oncology and surgical oncology, and can join the hospital's tumour board, the round-table meeting where the full team reviews each case against the current world literature.
What can be done to improve overall healthcare delivery to doctors and patients across Africa?▼
Varun, the session host, said this reflects the underlying model of the collaboration: connecting Indian specialists using current-day technology and treatment processes with doctors across Africa to help achieve better medical outcomes, and offered to continue the conversation with Dr. Sunday directly after the session.
What is the cost range for laparoscopic surgeries for gynaecologic oncology cases, and does the hospital offer chemoradiotherapy, IMRT and VMAT?▼
Dr. Pandit said laparoscopic cancer surgery, including radical hysterectomy and hysterectomy, typically costs between $5,000 and $5,500, while procedures for endometriosis such as myomectomy range from $5,000 to $6,500. Fortis offers the full range of radiation oncology, including 3D-CRT, IMRT, IGRT, 3D-ARC, CyberKnife and tomotherapy, as well as brachytherapy, and has access to targeted therapy, immunotherapy and, at one centre in India, CAR-T cell therapy.
What is the utility of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy for gynaecologic malignancies, is it available at your institution, and what does it cost?▼
Dr. Pandit said focused high-frequency ultrasound therapy is generally used for small fibroids rather than malignancy, which is his own area of focus, but confirmed Fortis does perform it, at a cost of $4,500 to $6,500.
In This Series: Advanced Treatments in Gynaec Oncology
- 1.Advanced Treatments in Gynaecologic Oncology
- 2.HIPEC: How Heated Chemotherapy Is Changing Outcomes in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
- 3.From Open Surgery to Robotics: The Shift in Gynaecologic Cancer Surgery
- 4.The Four Gynaecologic Cancers Every General Practitioner Should Know
- 5.HPV Vaccination and the Prevention of Cervical Cancer
- 6.Four Red Flags That Should Prompt a Gynaecologic Oncology Referral
- 7.Diagnostic Advances in Gynaecologic Oncology: Genetic Testing, PET-CT and AI
- 8.Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy in Gynaecologic Cancers
- 9.Cost of Gynaecologic Cancer Surgery and Treatment in India
- 10.Complex International Cases in Gynaecologic and Surgical Oncology
- 11.Cross-Border Referral: How African Doctors Can Collaborate with Indian Gynaecologic Oncology Centres