Dr. Suresh Advani: A Life Giver to Cancer Patients

If any doctor holds the highest regard in our minds and the minds of his patients it is Dr Suresh Advani. The journey that made him what he is today often resembles a bumpy, roller coaster ride, filled with several ups and downs. Undeterred by his handicap, he dreamt of being a doctor himself and improving people’s lives through his work. A dream that he has accomplished. Today, he is one of the best cancer specialists in Mumbai, and here’s how it came about.

As a cancer specialist in Tata Memorial Hospital, he made sure that anyone diagnosed with cancer was cured and survived. When his patient, the popular Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala was diagnosed with cancer, he made it his mission to treat her and help her get better. Dr Advani has saved many lives and received the Padma Bhushan as recognition of his dedication. It is the highest regard one can get in the medical world, but his journey to reach here wasn’t always so easy.

Dr Advani was struck by polio at the age of eight which left him paralysed from the waist down. Despite this, he beat the odds, put himself through medical college, took up oncology, and began his career in 1974 at the Tata Memorial Hospital as an assistant Medical Oncologist. He later went on to become the Professor and Chief in the Department of Oncology.

Spearheading Progress

Dr Suresh Advani during the early phase of his career became interested in haematology, his research on leukaemia took him to places like the US, the UK, and Japan in search of more advanced methods to treat this disease. After visiting different cancer research institutes to gain experience in bone marrow transplant and medical oncology, he returned to India with his newfound knowledge and successfully led the first bone marrow transplant in the country.

Besides being the best cancer specialist in Mumbai, he is also the Chief Investigator for Acute Lymphoblastic Chronic Lymphatic Leukaemia, a project supported by the National Cancer Institute Washington. Dr Suresh Advani worked at Tata Memorial hospital for many years and gained a lot of experience in the field of bone marrow transplants.

Services Offered

Surgery – As the best cancer specialist in Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, he used to treat cancer through surgery, he specialised in the different ways that surgery is used against cancer and the side effects and outcomes of the same.
Radiation Therapy – A therapy that kills cancer and shrinks tumours with high doses of radiation.
Chemotherapy – A cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Here you learn about the causes, side effects, and how it is used.
Immunotherapy – A type of cancer treatment that pushes your immune system to fight cancer.
Targeted Therapy – To learn a treatment that targets the changes in cancer cells that help them grow, divide, and spread.
Hormone Therapy – A therapy that slows or stops the growth of breast and prostate cancers that use hormones in the body to grow.
Stem Cell Transplant – A procedure that restores blood-forming stem cells in cancer patients who have had theirs destroyed due to very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation.

Depending on the type of cancer, some of them require only one or a mixture of treatments. Dr Suresh Advani provided online consultation and helped his patients understand the same. He explained to the families and patients about the diagnosis and available treatment. More than just an oncologist he also took care of the other physical needs of his patients. One of the strongest reasons people trusted him is he felt that cancer could be cured, and the patients would live longer and feel better.

Dr Suresh Advani’s online consultation and work were seen in many hospitals such as Jaslok Hospital, the Asian Cancer Institute in Mahim, Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai, Susrutha Hospital in Chembur, and more.

Never Say Die Spirit

During his medical career, Dr Advani has seen medical oncology transform greatly. His hard work led to leukaemia being curable. Today, many of his patients, especially children, have gone on to lead fulfilling and healthy lives after being treated successfully.

Dr Advani has also won several awards and accolades like Padma Bhushan by the Government of India, DR BC Roy National awards, Nazli Gad-el-Mawla award, and Lifetime Achievement in Oncology by Harvard Medical International, to name a few.

In Conclusion

Fortune does favour the brave and Dr Advani’s indomitable spirit, zest for life, dedication to his work and compassion has made his life’s journey an inspirational one.