Sanjoy Saha, MD

Cancer can sound like a death sentence to a patient, however, with modern technology, science and prompt care, we now know that cancer is not as ominous as we once believed it to be. There is now more hope and modern interventions to make cancers more curable than not. I believe cancer treatment must be prompt and based on a foundation of science. Following a multidisciplinary treatment approach involving input from other subspecialties should be the basis of comprehensive care. If given another chance to pick a career in surgery, I would opt to be a surgical oncologist again. A diagnosis of cancer can shake the bravest of the brave, but modern cancer treatment is multidisciplinary involving an array of testing, imaging, and consultation. This makes my job as a surgical oncologist gratifying and fulfilling as I walk a cancer patient through the journey from diagnosis, systemic therapies, interventions and operations. Helping someone in need and showing them a path of hope is a blessing, and I am blessed to be a surgical oncologist. I have committed myself to years of training since my medical school days to become a surgical oncologist. During my general surgical training in India, I noticed that there was a lack of knowledge and interventions available for cancer patients. That was the driving force for me to pursue my training in surgical oncology. I then came to the United States of America after finishing my surgery training in India. As required in the US, I repeated the general surgery residency first, followed by two oncology fellowship training: one at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the other at The Ohio State University, Columbus. I have worked in this field for the last 30 years focusing on General Surgical oncology that included cancers of the breast, skin, soft tissue sarcoma, colon and rectum, stomach, liver, pancreas, biliary tract, and endocrine glands. I have a special interest in regional and local therapies like T-VEC therapy for melanoma, intraoperative radiation therapy Cytoreductive surgery and Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy ( CRS and HIPEC). I also volunteered my time to start HIPEC treatment programs in other countries such as Costa Rica.