Ovarian cancer often presents with vague, easy-to-miss symptoms and has no routine screening test — which makes evaluation by a specialist who knows what to look for especially important. Dr. Dipanwita Banerjee, Senior Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist at CNCI, manages ovarian cancer from diagnosis through staging surgery and long-term follow-up.
Ovarian cancer develops in the tissue of the ovaries and is one of the five gynaecological cancers Dr. Banerjee treats, alongside cervical, uterine, vulvar and vaginal cancers. Because the ovaries sit deep in the pelvis, tumours can grow for some time before they produce symptoms specific enough to prompt an urgent work-up — which is why awareness of the early warning signs, and prompt referral to a gynaecological oncologist when they appear, matters.
Unlike cervical cancer, there is currently no routine screening test for ovarian cancer. This makes symptom awareness and timely clinical evaluation the most practical tools for early detection, alongside genetic risk assessment for women with a relevant family history.
Ovarian cancer symptoms are often subtle and easy to mistake for common digestive or menstrual issues. Persistent or worsening symptoms — rather than a single episode — are what warrant evaluation.
Ongoing abdominal bloating or a feeling of increased abdominal size that does not settle over a few weeks.
Discomfort or pain in the pelvis or abdomen that persists rather than resolving on its own.
Loss of appetite or feeling full after eating only a small amount.
New or increased urinary frequency or urgency without a clear cause.
A family history of ovarian or breast cancer, or a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, significantly increases a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. Because there is no routine population screening programme for this cancer, understanding personal and family risk is one of the few tools available for earlier detection.
Dr. Banerjee's team can guide patients through genetic risk assessment and counselling where relevant — helping women with a strong family history understand their options, which may include closer surveillance or risk-reducing discussions with the appropriate specialists.
Ovarian cancer management is built around accurate staging and surgery, most often followed by coordinated oncology care. Dr. Banerjee brings AIIMS-trained surgical oncology expertise together with international fellowship training to each case.
Dr. Banerjee has specific expertise in the staging and cytoreductive surgery used to manage ovarian cancer, including advanced-stage disease, as part of her broader work in ovarian, uterine and other gynaecological malignancies.
Fellowship-trained in robotic surgery at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre, New York, she applies minimally invasive techniques where they are appropriate for lower morbidity and faster recovery.
For women of reproductive age, Dr. Banerjee provides sensitive counselling on fertility-sparing surgical options and preservation where the disease stage and clinical picture allow it.
For patients with a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, or a known BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation, her team offers guidance through genetic risk assessment and counselling.
As In-charge of the Department of Surgical Oncology (Gynaecology) at CNCI, she coordinates surgical care with chemotherapy and other oncology specialists as each case requires.
Based at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute — eastern India's premier regional cancer centre — since 2012, with an MCh in Gynaecological Oncology from AIIMS New Delhi.
"Committed to bringing the highest standard of gynaecological cancer care — with science, skill, and deep compassion — to every patient who trusts me with their care."