Padma Shri Indian American Oncologist Dr Dattatreyudu Nori appointed senior adviser of Sloan Kettering Centre in India

Observing that the opening of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from New York in India – the first of its kind outside the United States -- “is a big deal,” Dr Nori said getting treatment of and consultations on cancer from the world’s best cancer institute would not only save a large number of lives but will also help increase awareness in the fight against the deadly disease.

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A 2017 Padma Shri awardee for his contribution to the field of medicine, Dr Nori said he wants to bring the best practices of cancer treatment from the United States to India.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center opened its first-ever overseas centre in Chennai last August, and in March this year, Dr Nori was appointed as its senior advisor.

The Indian American doctor, who has just returned from India visiting several states including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Assam, said in cancer, the first treatment has to be the best treatment.

“First treatment has to be the best treatment. There is no room for patching up. You know, something went wrong, I want to do something else. It won't help. This is my desire, which finally happened. Memorial (Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) opened in 2022. In India, we see about 1.3-1.4 million new cases every year. There are good cancer centres that have come up in the last 10 years both in the private and government sectors,” he said.

But they're not able to cater to all the cancer patients as the numbers are overwhelming, he was quick to add.

“They are able to have patients, but you cannot keep on establishing cancer centres without controlling the number of cases. That's the message I've been giving to the central government and state governments,” he told PTI.

“You have to somehow bring the incidence of cancer under control. How do we control that – Through screening and early detection,” said Nori, who has been in the US for more than four and half decades.

“I am trying to utilise that (experience in the US) to implement some programmes in India because we have been successful in America.

“By screening, we have reduced cervical cancer by almost 24 percent here in the US. In breast cancer, by doing mammography at a certain age group, we have reduced the mortality of breast cancer. In lung cancer, by promoting the awareness about smoking in the US, we are seeing for the last three, four years, a downward trend even for lung cancers,” he said.

During his career spanning over four decades, he has held the positions of Professor and Chairman of Oncology and Director of the Cancer Center at the world-renowned Cornell Medical Center in New York.

Author of over 300 scientific articles and four books in oncology, Nori has pioneered numerous cancer treatment techniques that have contributed to significant improvement in the cure rates and in saving lives of a number of cancer patients all over the world.

He is a recipient of the ‘Tribute to Life’ award presented by the American Cancer Society and the ‘Most Distinguished Physician Award', presented by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In 2014 he was bestowed with one of the most prestigious civilian awards in the US ‘The Ellis Island Medical of Honor’ for his exemplary work.

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