I arrived at the bustling corridors of Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan’s clinic early last week, notebook in hand, determined to learn directly from one of Mumbai’s most reputed surgeons. As a medical journalist, I have interviewed many professionals — but this time I was here to meet the doctor often described as the Best oncologist Doctor in Mumbai.
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan’s medical journey is rooted in rigorous academic and surgical training. He earned his MBBS from Bombay University in 2000, and his M.S. in General Surgery in 2004, followed by postgraduate training at LTMMC Hospital, Sion, Mumbai. He then underwent a demanding 4-year residency in surgical oncology at the prestigious Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai (2004–2008), a training ground for many of India’s top cancer specialists. Adding to this solid foundation, Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan completed a Fellowship in Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation from Hospital Beaujon, Paris, during 2008–2009.
Today, he serves as the Director of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic, and Gastrointestinal Oncology at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital — one of Mumbai’s leading cancer care facilities.
The outpatient facility of the Cancer Surgery Clinic in Mumbai — where Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan consults regularly — reflects a focused and patient-centric setup. Located on Linking Road in Bandra West, the clinic provides evening consultation hours to accommodate working patients.
The clinic emphasizes advanced surgical techniques: minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures, robotic surgeries, and complex hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal operations — ensuring that patients have access to the full spectrum of modern oncological care.
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan’s expertise spans a wide array of cancers — liver, bile duct, gallbladder, pancreas, colorectal, stomach, esophageal and other GI-related cancers. In conversation, he stressed that although many cases are complex — some involving vascular reconstruction or multi-organ resections — his team approaches each case with meticulous planning and multidisciplinary support.
During our discussion, Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan outlined several benefits of surgical oncology for gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers. Timely surgery can often offer a chance for curative resection — potentially removing tumours entirely before they spread, especially in early-stage cancers. Advances such as minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic surgeries may reduce recovery time, minimize scarring, and offer better post-operative outcomes.
However, he did not shy away from addressing the risks. Given the complexity — especially for liver, pancreatic or bile-duct tumors — surgeries carry a non-negligible risk of complications: bleeding, infection, organ dysfunction, or long recovery periods. For high-risk procedures such as multi-organ resections or vascular reconstructions, outcomes depend heavily on patient overall health, precise surgical planning, and post-operative care.
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan emphasised that the decision to operate must weigh benefits vs risks carefully — and recommended that patients undergo comprehensive preoperative assessment (imaging, functional tests, nutritional evaluation) to ensure they are fit for surgery.
While exact costs vary widely depending on the cancer type, stage, complexity of surgery, need for reconstruction or transplant, and length of post-operative care — Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan indicated that treatment at a top facility in Mumbai such as Nanavati Max or via Cancer Surgery Clinic generally ranges from moderate to high when compared with standard surgeries. He noted that a straightforward laparoscopic GI surgery might cost substantially less than a complex hepatobiliary resection or liver transplant.
He added that additional costs — diagnostics (imaging, PET-CT, biopsy), perioperative care, hospital stay, post-surgery follow-up, supportive therapy — also influence the overall treatment cost. While in many cases insurance may cover a portion, patients should be prepared for out-of-pocket expenditure based on their individual plan.
My reporting did not record specific rupee amounts (as they differ greatly), but the advice was clear: patients should discuss cost estimates upfront with the clinic administrative team, especially for high-complexity surgeries.
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan underscored the importance of several precautions and aftercare steps post-surgery: