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The two-day 3rd Biennial Conference of the Oncology Group of Pune (OGP 2026) focused on peritoneal surface oncology and gynaecologic oncology, areas where diseases often present late and treatments are complex. The event brought together over 500 leading national and international experts to share advances in diagnosis, surgery, systemic therapy, and supportive care for cancers that spread to the peritoneum, ovaries, and gastrointestinal tract.
“The future of treating peritoneal surface cancers lies in personalised care, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, advanced imaging, and stronger collaboration among cancer specialists across India and the world,” he said. Glehen said they are largely confined to the abdominal region. Bhaduri stated, “While Pune’s cancer incidence stands at around 82 per 100,000—substantially lower than the global average of 250 per 100,000 and lower than India’s national average of 100 per 100,000, predominantly due to a younger population—the city benefits from a strong workforce density of 1.35 oncologists per 100,000 population.”
Pune : For many patients, a Stage IV cancer diagnosis sounds like a final verdict. However, a growing body of evidence presented at an oncology conference held in the city over the weekend is challenging this fatalism, showing that carefully selected advanced cancers can be controlled—and sometimes even cured—with aggressive, multimodal therapy. Professor Olivier Glehen, a renowned specialist in gastrointestinal and peritoneal surface malignancy surgery from Hospices Civils de Lyon, France, spoke at the event. Explaining these malignancies, Prof. He highlighted how advances in cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and peritonectomy, alongside newer techniques like hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), PIPAC, and NIPS, have opened up new possibilities for improving patient outcomes. He stressed the need for specialised centres with trained teams, careful patient selection, and a multidisciplinary approach involving surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists. OGP president and senior surgical oncologist Dr Debanshu Bhaduri added, “Advances in cancer treatment are increasingly demonstrating that selected patients with certain advanced stage IV malignancies can benefit from aggressive, multimodal treatment approaches. In appropriately selected patients and specific tumor types, strategies such as cytoreductive surgery combined with HIPEC can offer long-term disease control and, in some cases, potentially curative outcomes. ” The conference provided a rare academic platform for clinicians to debate borderline cases, refine selection criteria for aggressive therapy, and align on standards that balance survival gains with quality of life. Discussing local data, D.