Director, Surgical Oncology, Fortis Escorts, Okhla, New Delhi
Part 4 of 11 in Advanced Treatments in Gynaec Oncology
The Four Gynaecologic Cancers Every General Practitioner Should Know
When Dr. Pandit's masterclass turns to gynaecologic cancer, the discussion centres on four distinct diseases, each with its own risk profile, detection pattern and reason a general practitioner needs to know it by name.
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer develops just below the uterus and is, among the four, the one that is genuinely preventable: through HPV vaccination and through regular screening with pap smears and HPV testing.
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is usually caught late, and the reason is anatomical rather than a failure of screening: the ovary sits in a part of the abdomen with enough room for a tumour to grow substantially before it produces symptoms a patient or doctor would notice. By the time most cases are diagnosed, the disease has often already reached an advanced stage.
Endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer's rising incidence tracks a trend Dr. Pandit sees across both India and Africa: children getting less physical activity and a corresponding rise in childhood obesity, both of which carry forward into higher endometrial cancer risk.
Vulval and vaginal cancer
Vulval and vaginal cancers are the rarest of the four, but Dr. Pandit singles them out because of how closely they track sexually transmitted infection, a pattern that again cuts across both India and Africa rather than being specific to either.
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.
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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