Tata Memorial Centre for Cancer Research and Treatment, Mumbai, originally set up in 1941, is the national-level comprehensive cancer centre for the prevention, treatment, education and research in cancer. Recognized as one of the leading cancer centres in this part of the world, it is a research institute of renown, leading from the front in the fight against cancer.
The Tata Memorial Hospital was initially commissioned by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust on 28 February 1941 as a centre with enduring value and a mission for concern for the Indian people. In 1952, the Indian Cancer Research Centre came into being to carry out basic research into cancer. It was later renamed as the Cancer Research Institute (CRI). The Indian government’s ministry of health took over the Tata Memorial Hospital in 1957 and, in 1962 the administrative control of Tata Memorial Centre (Tata Memorial Hospital and the Cancer Research Institute) was handed over to the department of atomic energy. The establishment of Tata Memorial Hospital and the Cancer Research Institute as the two arms of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in 1966 is a classic example of private philanthropy augmented by government support with a mandate for service, education and research in cancer.
An estimated 30,000 new cancer patients visit the TMC every year from all over India and neighbouring countries. Nearly 60% of these patients receive primary care at the hospital of which over 70% are treated almost free of any charges. Over 1,000 patients attend the OPD daily for medical advice, comprehensive care or for follow-up treatment.
Tata Memorial Hospital conducts nearly 8,500 major operations and 5,000 patients undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy annually under multi-disciplinary program delivering established treatments. Evidence-based medicine is the keystone of at the hospital. Apart from the patient care and service, clinical research programs and randomized trials contribute increasingly to improved delivery of care and highest standards of work ethics. Early diagnosis, treatment management, rehabilitation, pain relief and terminal care are part of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach towards a total cancer care program.
The hospital was the first in India to carry out a successful bone marrow transplant way back in 1983. Today, it has a PET CT scanner – the first in India -- for cancer management and molecular pathology procedures with emphasis on predictive assays for identifying the high-risk prognostic factors.
The Tata Memorial Centre is known for its excellent facilities for total rehabilitation and counselling of patients.
It is estimated that over 70% of the total cancer cases in the country are detected late and report for treatment in very advanced stages. As early detection of the disease goes a long way in mitigating suffering and avoiding financial burden, the Tata Memorial Centre has set up Rural Outreach Cancer Centres at various places, offers telepathology and telemedicine services and proposes to network with major cancer centres in the country to help patients access comprehensive cancer care.
A Scientific Review Committee critically reviews the entire proposed research program and projects at the Tata Memorial Centre to ensure that they are at the cutting edge of an international effort. Apart from this, there is a Hospital Ethics Committee consisting of doctors and scientific officers along with external experts in the field of medicine, law and social science to critically evaluate the research and medical practices followed at the hospital and a Data Monitoring and Safety Committee to evaluate and monitor all officially sanctioned intramural research programs.
Today, the Tata Memorial Centre is a recognized training centre for cancer education and research by national and international organizations such as World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency and International Union Against Cancer. The Tata Memorial Hospital is a post-graduate teaching centre and is affiliated to the University of Mumbai, National Board of Examinations and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.
The TMC’s Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer comprising the Cancer Research Institute and the Clinical Research Centre, offers facilities for scientists and clinicians working in the field of cancer in basic and translational research.
