Modest and soft spoken, 55-year-old Dr Suresh H Advani had pioneered bone marrow transplant in a country where the word cancer was synonymous with the inevitable death knell. Dr Advani has been credited with 500 national and international publication and played a significant role in the establishment of D M Medicaoncology (Mumbai University) at Tata Memorial hospital.

For this achivement in the field of scientific research in medical oncology, he has been bestowed of the prestigious Padmashri and Dhanvantri this year. He started in 1974, his practice, when treatment of cancer was only local. Since then a revolution has occurred in oncology by multi-modal treatment involving surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Medical oncology, which did not exist in India until 26 years ago, has had a major impact in converting many incurable forms of cancer into curable ones. Before the advent of oncology, all children afflicted with cancer died. Today, 75 per cent of them are cured. The survival rate for leukaemia, which was nil earlier, is now 70 per cent.
Undeterred by the polio in his leg, which confined him to the wheel chair at the age of eight, have this legend says, "At present my strong interest is to develop developmental therapeutics with clinical research program. This will have integrated projects involving all the branches of clinical oncology as well as potential basic research."
He dubs the arrival of genomics as a "revolution" for medical oncology.

After graduating from Grant Medical college in 1969 and MD from Bombay University, he ventured to study in Seatle, US. He came back to the home turf in 1974 to join the oncology department of Tata Memorial Centre and Research Institute, where he worked for 28 years, before joining Jaslok hospital.
Though he is credited with many cancer related projects, the rural cancer hospital in Barsi of Solapur district, which the WHO has recently declared as the best of its kind in rural area.

While he has been associated with the foundation of different cancer societies, like Cancer Patients Aid Association, Help Hand, V care, Jas Cap and Indian Cancer Society, he attributes all the success to the people.
He has also been associated with the unique Cancer Insurance Policy with CPAA. t is a known fact that cancer treatment is expensive and hence the policy definitely helps.