Oral Cancer Treatment in Chennai for Patients from Bangladesh & West Bengal
Led by both surgeons
Many families travel to Apollo Main Hospital, Greams Road from Bangladesh and West Bengal for oral cancer surgery. Dr. Pradeep S. consults in Bengali as well as English and Hindi, and we review your reports remotely before you decide to travel.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with mouth cancer in Bangladesh or West Bengal, you may be weighing whether to travel for surgery. This page sets out how that journey works with us, step by step, so you can plan calmly and decide with full information.
Dr. Pradeep S. is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon whose practice focuses on oral, head and neck cancer surgery. He consults in Bengali, as well as English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, so you and your family can ask questions and understand the answers in the language you are most comfortable with. He works alongside Dr. Kalpa Pandya, and together they plan, operate and follow up the same patients.
Training and experience: MDS in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, a fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology (FHNS), international board certification (FIBCSOMS), and more than 15 years in oral, head and neck cancer surgery, including three years in the Department of Head & Neck Oncology at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre.
Recognition: Best Clinical Case Award (Surgical Pathology), AOMSI Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, 2026.
Why Families Travel to Chennai for Oral Cancer Surgery
Oral cancer surgery is rarely a single operation. Removing the tumour with clear margins, treating the lymph nodes in the neck, and rebuilding the mouth so that a person can eat and speak again usually happen in the same sitting, and recovery then depends on careful follow-up.
At Apollo Main Hospital, Greams Road, these steps are planned and carried out by one team, with radiation and medical oncology available in the same hospital when they are needed. For many families, that continuity is the reason they choose to travel: the people who plan the surgery are the people who see you afterwards.
Among patients who travel from Bangladesh and West Bengal, cancers of the inner cheek and gum are especially common, often linked to long-term use of gutka, khaini, betel quid or areca nut. Our page on buccal mucosa (cheek) cancer treatment explains how these are treated.
Travelling is a significant decision, though, and it is not always necessary. If good treatment is available closer to home and your existing plan is sound, we will tell you so.
Language, Family and Making Decisions Together
Decisions about cancer surgery are rarely made by one person. We expect family members to be part of the consultation, and we take the time to go through the scans, the proposed operation and the recovery in plain language.
With Dr. Pradeep S. able to explain things in Bengali, families who are more comfortable in Bengali than in English or Hindi can follow every step of the discussion and ask their own questions directly, rather than relying on someone to translate. If anything is unclear later, you can send your questions on WhatsApp.
Before agreeing to any operation, you should understand what will be removed, how the mouth will be rebuilt, how eating and speech are likely to change for a while, and what the follow-up involves. If you do not, ask us to explain again; that is part of the consultation, not an imposition.
Step One: Send Your Reports Before You Travel
The most useful first step costs you no travel at all. Share your reports with us on WhatsApp at +91 96633 03747, and we review them remotely before you make any arrangements.
What to send: Biopsy (histopathology) report, CT or MRI scans with their reports, PET-CT if done, any treatment plan you have already been given, and a short note of the main symptoms.
What you receive: Our view on the diagnosis, whether further tests are needed, what kind of surgery is likely, and roughly how long you should plan to stay.
If you would like a fuller discussion before deciding, our oral cancer second opinion service includes a video consultation with you and your family.
Your Treatment Journey, Step by Step
Every patient's plan is different, but most journeys from Bangladesh or West Bengal follow the same sequence.
Remote review: You send reports and scans; we tell you what we think and what is still missing.
Plan and estimate: We explain the likely operation, reconstruction and hospital stay, and the factors that will shape the cost, so you can make travel and financial arrangements.
Travel: You plan your journey with the dates we suggest, allowing time for tests before surgery.
First visit and tests: An in-person examination, and any scans or biopsy review still needed for accurate staging. Our page on your first visit explains what happens.
Surgery: The tumour is removed with a margin of healthy tissue, the neck is treated where needed, and the mouth is reconstructed in the same operation when required.
Hospital stay: Close monitoring, nutrition support and early swallowing and speech care while the wounds heal.
Recovery nearby: A further period close to the hospital so that the first wound checks, the final pathology report and any decision about radiotherapy can happen before you travel home.
Follow-up from home: Later reviews can be arranged by WhatsApp or video, with scans and reports shared remotely, and in-person visits planned when they are needed.
How Long to Plan to Stay in Chennai
These are typical ranges only. Your surgeon will confirm a realistic plan after reviewing your reports, and plans can change once tests are done.
Assessment and staging: Usually a few days for examination, scans and reviewing the biopsy, longer if a fresh biopsy is needed.
Smaller operations: For an early cancer removed by wide local excision or a partial glossectomy, the hospital stay is often short, with about a week nearby afterwards for wound review.
Major surgery with reconstruction: For larger operations with flap reconstruction, plan roughly two to three weeks in Chennai in total, including the hospital stay and the first review after discharge.
If radiotherapy is advised: Radiotherapy after surgery usually runs over about six weeks, ideally starting within six weeks of the operation. Some families arrange it closer to home; we discuss the options and coordinate the hand-over.
The final histopathology report after surgery is what decides whether radiotherapy is needed, so it helps to plan a little flexibility into your stay.
Medical Visa Basics for Patients from Bangladesh
Patients from Bangladesh normally travel on an Indian Medical (MED) visa, and close family members accompanying them apply for Medical Attendant (MED X) visas. Applications are made online through the Indian visa portal and submitted, with documents, at an Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Bangladesh.
A letter from the treating hospital in India: Visa applications for treatment usually need a letter on the Indian hospital's letterhead naming the patient and the attendants with their passport details.
Your medical documents: Recent reports and a doctor's referral or recommendation from Bangladesh.
Passport and personal documents: A passport with at least six months' validity, photographs and the other documents IVAC lists for the visa type.
Share your reports with us first and we will guide you on the medical letter needed for the application. Visa rules and documents can change, so always check the current requirements with IVAC before you apply.
Travelling from Kolkata and West Bengal
Patients from West Bengal do not need a visa, and the city is reachable by direct flights from Kolkata or by train from Howrah. For someone recovering from mouth surgery, a shorter journey home is usually more comfortable, so many families book the return by air once the surgeon confirms it is safe to travel.
Bring an attendant who can stay for the whole visit. In the first days after surgery, a family member helps with feeding, medicines and getting to reviews, and it is reassuring for the patient to have someone familiar close by.
Where to Stay Near Greams Road
Most families find it easiest to stay within a short drive of Apollo Main Hospital, Greams Road, because there are several visits before and after surgery.
Practical points: Choose accommodation with a lift or a ground-floor room, access to a kitchen or a place that can prepare soft and liquid food, and easy transport to the hospital for early-morning appointments.
Plan for the recovery diet: For a few weeks after surgery many patients eat soft or blended food. Our guide to recovery and rehabilitation explains what to expect: recovery and rehabilitation after oral cancer surgery.
What Affects the Cost of Treatment
We discuss the likely costs before you travel, once we know the extent of the surgery. The main factors are the size and site of the tumour, whether part of the jaw needs to be removed, the type of reconstruction, the length of the hospital stay, and whether radiotherapy or chemotherapy is needed afterwards. Our guide to oral cancer treatment cost explains these in more detail.
Insurance and schemes: Government schemes such as Tamil Nadu's CMCHIS are for eligible Tamil Nadu residents, so families travelling from other states or from abroad should plan for private payment or check with their own insurer before travelling.
Dental care before radiotherapy: If radiotherapy is likely, a dental check beforehand avoids later complications; see dental treatment before radiotherapy.
What to Bring
Biopsy slides and blocks: If a biopsy was done in Bangladesh or West Bengal, ask the laboratory for the slides and paraffin blocks; a pathology review here may need them.
Reports and scans: All reports, and the scan images on a CD or digital link, not only the printed summaries.
Medicines: A written list of current medicines and doses, and a supply for the trip.
Documents: Passport and visa for patients from Bangladesh, and photo ID for patients from India, for both the patient and the attendant.
Follow-Up After You Return Home
Oral cancer care continues after surgery. Follow-up visits are most frequent in the first two years, when recurrence is most likely to be found early.
Once you are home, many reviews can be done by WhatsApp or video, with photographs and new scans shared for us to look at. When an in-person examination is needed, we plan it with enough notice for you to arrange travel. If you prefer, routine checks can also be shared with a surgeon closer to home, with us reviewing the reports.
Whenever you are ready, you can book a consultation or send your reports on WhatsApp to begin.
Finding us in Chennai
Mouth Cancer Surgeons is based at Apollo Main Hospital on Greams Road, Chennai. Families regularly travel here from Bangladesh, West Bengal and the wider eastern region, and we review reports remotely so that nobody makes the journey before they know what treatment is likely to involve.
Families who travelled for treatment
Google reviews, in the patients’ own words.
Darpan Talukdar
Diagnosis & surgery
Kolkata · 4 months ago
“Before coming to Dr. Pradeep, I saw several doctors in Kolkata without clarity. He gave me clarity and confidence, and the surgery was completed smoothly. His accurate diagnosis and follow-up show real dedication — don’t waste time, go visit him.”
Minhajul Haque
Oral cancer · international patient
Manitoba, Canada · 1 year ago
“I came from Canada to seek oral cancer treatment for my father. On our first visit Dr. Pradeep spent nearly an hour and a half explaining every detail — patient, punctual and crystal clear. My father is now 100% recovered. I highly recommend him for the best oral cancer care.”
Subhendu Debnath
Oral & maxillofacial surgery
Chennai · 9 months ago
“Dr. Pradeep is not only a great doctor but a good human being. He replied to all my WhatsApp messages and even came in within 20 minutes at 3 a.m. for an emergency, and again on a Sunday. In one word, he gave me a rebirth and brought happiness back to my family.”
AJAfia JahinOral surgery · international patient
“The doctor who performed my surgery, Dr. Pradeep, was a very kind and gentle person. He helped us so much and is very professional. The service at Apollo Chennai was excellent.”
Suman DasOral & maxillofacial surgery
“Dr. Pradeep operated on our family member six months ago and he has recovered completely. He was professional, reassuring and compassionate, explained the condition and surgery clearly, and the post-operative care and follow-up were equally reassuring.”
Frequently asked questions
Does Dr. Pradeep speak Bengali?
Yes. Dr. Pradeep S. consults in Bengali, as well as English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, so patients and families from Bangladesh and West Bengal can discuss the diagnosis and treatment plan in their own language.
Can I get an opinion before travelling?
Yes. Send your biopsy report, scans and any treatment plan on WhatsApp to +91 96633 03747. We review them remotely and tell you what we think, what is missing, and how long you would need to plan to stay before you make any travel arrangements.
How long will I need to stay in Chennai?
It depends on the operation. Smaller excisions may need about a week after surgery, while major surgery with flap reconstruction usually needs two to three weeks in Chennai in total. Your surgeon confirms a realistic plan after reviewing your reports.
Which visa do patients from Bangladesh need?
Patients usually travel on an Indian Medical (MED) visa, and accompanying family members apply for Medical Attendant (MED X) visas through IVAC. A letter from the treating hospital in India is normally required; share your reports first and we will guide you on it.
Can a family member come with me?
Yes, and we encourage it. An attendant helps with food, medicines and appointments during recovery. Patients from Bangladesh will need Medical Attendant (MED X) visas for accompanying family members; check the current rules with IVAC.
How do follow-ups work after I return home?
Many follow-up reviews can be done by WhatsApp or video, with photographs and scans shared remotely. In-person visits are planned with notice when needed, and routine checks can be shared with a surgeon closer to home if you prefer.
What does oral cancer treatment cost?
Cost depends on the extent of surgery, whether bone is removed, the type of reconstruction, the hospital stay and any radiotherapy. Once we have reviewed your reports we explain the likely costs, so you can plan before travelling.
What should I bring?
Bring all reports, the scan images on CD or a digital link, biopsy slides and blocks if available, a list of current medicines, and your passport and visa (for Bangladesh) or photo ID, for both the patient and the attendant.
Will I need radiotherapy after surgery?
Not always. The final pathology report after surgery shows whether radiotherapy is advised. If it is, it usually lasts about six weeks, and we discuss whether it is done here or arranged closer to home.
Who treats from bangladesh & west bengal at Mouth Cancer Surgeons?
Dr. Pradeep S. (Consultant, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon — specialist in oral, head and neck cancer surgeries) and Dr. Kalpa Pandya (Consultant, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon — specialist in OPMD, Facial Trauma, Dental Implants). You are cared for by the same two specialists from diagnosis through recovery.
Where do you consult in Chennai?
We consult and operate at Apollo Main Hospital, Greams Road.
