Since 1941 the Department of Surgery has lead the country in the field of Surgical Oncology. With a strong heritage the department has continued to evolve while restructuring to address the challenges of specialisation and yet maintaining its core competence Operative services are comprehensive for cancers at all sites and are offered both at TMH and ACTREC. The department performs about 9000 major surgeries and 14000 minor procedures annually

The Department of Surgery has 31 surgeons on the faculty. The department has 4 divisions with each division running an independent M.Ch. program.

• Surgical Oncology with 16 M.Ch candidates enrolled every year
• Head and Neck Oncology with 4 M.Ch candidates enrolled every year
• Gynaecologic Oncology with 1 M.Ch candidate enrolled every year
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with 2 M.Ch candidates enrolled every year.

Within surgical oncology the department has for long pursued subsite specialization with various specialty units

• Breast unit
• Bone and soft tissue unit
• Gastrointestinal - hepatobiliary unit
• Gastrointestinal - colorectal unit
• Thoracic unit
• Pediatric unit
• Urosurgery

A dual training scheme with parallel training in overall surgical oncology and specialist two-year fellowships in individual specialties offers various options for human resource development in cancer surgery for the country.

As part of the hospital's ethos of encouraging multidisciplinary management of cancers each surgical specialty also participates in their respective DMG (Disease Management Group) thus enhancing overall patient care.

Specific unique strengths of the department include an increasing application of minimally invasive surgery, skull-base procedures, major vascular replacements, limb salvage and microvascular surgery.

The department conducts various investigator-initiated and sponsored research studies. Large randomized trials in head and neck, esophageal, breast, lung, and cervix cancer are underway and collaborative studies including translational research with investigators at various national and international centres are ongoing.

The department has an impressive list of international and national peer reviewed publications, book chapters and books written or edited by the faculty.

The department regularly conducts training initiatives for post-graduate students and practicing surgeons. Departmental staff participates as faculty at national and international conferences and as examiners for academic degree courses. Members of the department also function as editors, members of editorial boards and peer reviewers for renowned national and international medical journals. Departmental faculty are core members in several public health initiatives like anti tobacco campaigns, Government of India and Ministry of Health task force to evolve treatment guidelines for cancer and expert groups to disseminate information about cancer.