I walked into the oncology wing of Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital as a medical journalist — pen in hand, questions ready in my mind. My goal was to meet Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan, considered by many to be among the Best Cancer Surgeon in Mumbai, and get a first-hand view of his work, his approach to complex cancer surgery, and the environment he and his team operate in.
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan trained rigorously from the very start. He completed his M.B.B.S. from Bombay University in 2000 (with instruction from Seth GSMC & KEM Hospital, Mumbai) and followed it with an M.S. in General Surgery in 2004 from the same university, with postgraduate training at LTMMC (Sion), Mumbai.
Recognizing the need for deeper specialization, he underwent a four-year residency in surgical oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai (2004–2008), one of India’s foremost oncology centers.
To further sharpen his skills, Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan completed a fellowship in Hepatobiliary–Pancreatic (HPB) surgery and liver transplantation at Hospital Beaujon, Paris (2008–2009), gaining exposure to advanced international surgical practices.
Today, he serves as Director, Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic & Gastrointestinal Oncology at Nanavati Max Institute of Cancer Care — a part of Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital — supervising complex GI, HPB and pancreatic cancer surgeries.
Over the last two decades, Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan and his team have conducted thousands of major surgeries for liver, bile duct, pancreatic, colorectal, gastric, esophageal cancers, neuroendocrine tumours, sarcomas and other complex malignancies.
This depth of training — general surgery, surgical oncology residency, international fellowship — combined with extensive hands-on experience in GI and HPB cancers underlines why he is widely recognized as the Best Oncologist Surgeon in Mumbai.
The cancer-care setup under Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan — often referred to simply as the Cancer Surgery Clinic in Mumbai — operates within Nanavati Max’s Institute of Cancer Care, and is equipped to handle a comprehensive range of oncological needs.
During my visit, I observed a calm, professionally run environment: private consultation bays, modern diagnostics, imaging facilities, and a highly equipped surgical theatre capable of complex resections, liver transplants, minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgeries. The clinic emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach — involving oncology, radiology, pathology, anaesthesia and post-operative care — vital for treating complex gastrointestinal, liver or pancreatic cancers.
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan’s expertise centers on hepatobiliary, pancreatic, liver, colorectal, gastric and biliary cancers, along with neuroendocrine tumors, sarcomas and advanced GI-oncology cases.
Given the complexity and seriousness of these conditions, the Cancer Surgery Clinic offers personalized treatment planning: each patient undergoes detailed evaluation, imaging, staging, and a multidisciplinary tumor board discussion — ensuring that the surgical plan, chemotherapy/radiation (if needed) and aftercare are tailored to the individual.