Mumbai's dedicated cancer institute HNCII completes one year

HNCII in Dockyard Road. Pic/official website

The city's only other dedicated cancer hospital, Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Head and Neck Cancer Institute of India (HNCII), at Dockyard Road in Mumbai, is celebrating its first anniversary this month.

Over the past year, it has served approximately 35,000 outpatients, with 10,000 receiving free consultations.

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The hospital has performed 3,000 surgeries and treated 40 to 50 laryngeal cancer patients in a single day using carbon dioxide lasers.

To mark its anniversary, the hospital will hold a series of clinical sessions on laryngeal cancer, which impacts 35,000 Indians annually, featuring both national and international speakers.

"Previously, treating laryngeal cancer required removing the voice box and creating a breathing hole. But the techniques we are using strive to keep the voice box intact," said Dr. Sultan Pradhan, surgical oncologist who heads the hospital.

Patients have two treatment options depending on their condition when confronted with laryngical cancer: radiotherapy or laser surgery. Both are suitable for early-stage laryngeal cancer, but radiotherapy can take up to five weeks, while laser surgery is a one-day procedure.

Dr. Sharmila Agarwal, radiation oncologist at the hospital, said, "The most common symptom of laryngeal cancer is hoarseness of voice. While it primarily affects smokers, it can also impact singers and lecturers. In early cases, we limit radiotherapy to the voice box, unless the cancer is advanced, in which case chemotherapy is also required."

With about 90 beds, the hospital is particularly proud of its carbon dioxide laser therapy, available in the city only within its premises and at Tata Memorial Hospital.

"The group of cancers we routinely deal with impacts the voice box. If the patient is in the early stage, we treat them with laser therapy, and they are discharged the same day," said Dr Prathamesh Pai, director at the hospital,

The laser treatment involves a precise, high-powered beam that is directed through an endoscope into the patient's larynx, allowing surgeons to remove cancerous tissues with minimal damage to surrounding areas. When asked why most hospitals in the city lack this treatment option, Dr Pradhan said, "Hospitals that look at return on investments do not have it but it has significant benefits for the patients," said Dr Pradhan.