UK-based gynaecological oncologist conferred Infosys Chair in Oncology at AIIMS, New Delhi

New Delhi: Ranjit Manchanda, an India-born gynaecological oncologist working in London's Cancer Research UK Barts Centre has been awarded the prestigious Infosys Chair in Oncology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. 

Ranjit Manchanda completed his MBBS and MD from AIIMS in the 1990s before going to the University College London, UK for PhD in gynaecological oncology. Known as an acclaimed super-specialist, his research spans targeted precision prevention of cancer, as per a media report. 

AIIMS is India's premier school and institutes for medical training (including postgraduate training), education and research. The Distinguished Infosys Chair in Oncology is awarded to honour a distinguished faculty for their achievements in the field and offers an opportunity to work at AIIMS.

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While receiving the award, Dr Manchanda said, "This award means a lot to me and it is an honour and privilege to have received it. I am excited at the opportunity to work with colleagues at AIIMS across both clinical and academic domains, and bring our institutes together with the common aim to reduce the burden of disease and improve the lives of women affected by gynaecological cancer."

Some of his major work comprises of work population-based germline testing for risk prediction, targeted screening and cancer prevention; developing targeted surgical prevention strategies for ovarian and endometrial cancer; developing genetic testing strategies for cancer diagnosis and prevention and management of familial gynaecological cancer. 

Presently he is a professor, of Gynaecological Oncology at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health at the Queen Mary University of London and Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist at Barts Health National Health Services Trust, and is leading several crucial research projects which also includes early detection of ovarian cancer. 

His work at the Infosys Chair would support the division of Gynaecological Oncology at AIIMS and would grow collaborative working between the Queen Mary University of London, Barts Health NHS Trust and AIIMS reports the Tribune India.

It would also help in aiding early screening strategies for ovarian cancer, the second most common gynaecological cancer in India and a leading cause of death from cancer in Indian women with 3.34 per cent (24,015) of cancer deaths in one year. 

Advanced ovarian cancer has the highest case fatality ratio amongst all gynaecological cancers globally, because of which his area of research becomes important. Even though 5-year survival from ovarian cancer is 94 per cent when diagnosed in Stage I, only 15 per cent of cases are diagnosed at this stage. Most (62 per cent) of cases are diagnosed in Stages III and IV when the 5-year survival rate is only 28 per cent. 

He previously held the post of Director of Graduate Studies, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London and Clinical Senior Lecturer, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London. Some of the awards that he has bagged include the Columbia Hospital for Women Research Foundation Award for the most impactful paper in 2020-21; NHS Innovation Accelerator NIA Fellowship and the William Blair Bell Memorial Lecture Award of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 

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