Dr. Smitha C. Saldanha

Dr. Smitha C. Saldanha is an experienced Medical Oncologist and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Specialist with over 20 years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. She has extensive expertise in hemato-oncology, stem cell transplantation, and pediatric oncology, providing personalized cancer care tailored to each patient's unique clinical needs.

Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Smitha has served as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at renowned institutions, including Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Fr. Muller Medical College & Hospital, and has also been associated with Apollo Hospital and R. N. Shetty Hospital.

She currently practices as a Medical Oncology Consultant and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician at HCG Cancer Centre, K. R. Road, Bengaluru.

Expertise

Dr. Smitha specializes in comprehensive medical oncology and bone marrow transplantation, with extensive experience in treating both solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

• Breast Cancer.
• Ovarian Cancer.
• Leukemia.
• Lymphoma.
• Pediatric Tumors.
• Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT).
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplant.
• Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant.
• Haploidentical and Matched Sibling Donor (MSD) Transplants.
• Personalized Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy, and Immunotherapy.

Dr. Smitha has successfully assisted and performed more than 150 stem cell transplants, including autologous, allogeneic, haploidentical, and matched sibling donor transplants.

Training & Certifications

• Certified Medical Oncologist – European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).
• Fellowship in Bone Marrow Transplantation – Mazumdar Shaw Medical Hospital, Bengaluru (2019).
• ESMO Preceptorships in Immuno-Oncology, Lung Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Kidney Cancer, and Advanced Cancer Therapeutics.
• RCC Preceptorship Program – Taiwan.
• Advanced Course on Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC) Development – Singapore (2024).

Awards & Accolades

• NITTE Education Trust Gold Medal – Community Medicine (2003).
• NITTE Education Trust Gold Medal – ENT (2003).
• ESMO Asia ISMPO Travel Grant (2015).
• Best Poster Award – ISMPOCON (2015).
• Pfizer Research Grant – ISMPOCON (2016).
• Presenter at ESMO Congress (Spain, 2019).
• Participant – IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer (Spain, 2019).
• Participant – EACR Congress, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2024).

Research & Publications

Dr. Smitha is actively involved in clinical research focusing on hematological malignancies, lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, neuroendocrine tumors, and precision oncology. She is currently leading research on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Advanced Research Project.

She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading national and international medical journals covering medical oncology, hematology, stem cell transplantation, breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal oncology, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and supportive cancer care. Her research has been presented at major global oncology conferences, including ESMO, IASLC, ISMPOCON, and Annals of Oncology.