Mumbai: SSO Cancer Hospitals has launched a head and neck cancer centre of excellence to provide free treatment to patients below the poverty line amid rising cases.
The centre will bring specialised cancer surgery, reconstruction, multidisciplinary treatment, research and education together under one platform, the hospital said.
According to the hospital, the Centre will treat various cancers in the mouth, tongue, voice box, thyroid, salivary glands, skull base, and other complex areas under a skilled team of Head & Neck surgical oncologists with over 100,000 successful surgeries combined.
This comes amid rising head and neck cancer cases in the country. As per the hospital, a year 2026 peer-reviewed analysis of GLOBOCAN 2022 data reported 143,759 new lip and oral-cavity cancer cases and 79,979 deaths in India. While, tobacco and areca-nut use were linked to an estimated 70%–80% of cases, underlining the urgent need for prevention, screening and timely specialist referral.
Dr. Amit Chakraborty, Lead Head & Neck Surgical Oncologist at SSO Cancer Hospitals, said, “Our focus extends beyond removing the tumour to helping patients return to normal life. Head and neck cancer treatment can affect a person’s ability to speak, swallow, eat and breathe, as well as their appearance and confidence.”
He added, “Wherever clinically appropriate, we will use organ-preserving approaches, robotic and minimally invasive procedures, skull-base surgery and jaw reconstruction. Complex cases will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team, with speech, swallowing and nutritional support included early in the treatment plan.”
