Single Port Laparoscopic Hysterectomy - The Pune Technique by Shailesh Puntambekar

The MOGS Conference on the Cutting Edge in Gynecological Oncology was held on the 15th November 2009 at the ITC Grand Central, Parel, Mumbai. There were 127 registrations for this event. There were 35 delegates from outside Mumbai attending the Conference.

The opening session was an Invited Video Session. The faculty demonstrated a variety of open and laparoscopic techniques for the entire gamut of gynecological cancers. Dr Shailesh Puntambekar, one of the invited faculty from Pune, has been recently awarded the Golden Laparoscope Award 2009 from the AAGL. As a last minute request, he shared with the audience his award winning video on Laparoscopic Posterior Exenteration.

The Conference was then officially inaugurated. Appreciation plaques were awarded to Dr Rajendra Badwe, Director, Tata Medical Center and Dr Rajendra Kerkar. The Israeli faculty members, Professor Gillad Ben-Baruch and Dr Jacob Korach were thanked for their efforts at the Workshop yesterday and for their visit to India. Dr Puntambekar was felicitated for his recent achievements.

The next session of invited lectures featured dilemmas in borderline tumors by Dr Anita Borges, a celebrated name in the field of cancer pathology. Dr Jacob Korach from Israel gave a balanced view on treating gynecological cancer in the geriatric patient. The concept of cytoreduction for ovarian cancers was expounded by Dr Hemant Tongaonkar.

Before lunch, Dr Amish Dalal conducted a well-planned and informative panel discussion on controversies in gynecological oncology. The panel comprised of surgeons (Dr Jacob Korach, Dr Amita Maheshwari and Dr Murad Lala), radiation oncologists (Dr V Kannan and Dr U Mahantshetty) and medical oncologists (Dr H Menon and Dr Kumar Prabhas). The discussion was fruitful and had -important take-home messages for the delegates.

After lunch, we opened up the newer vistas of minimal access surgery in gynecological oncology. Dr Neeta Warty dealt with the suspicious adnexal mass. Dr Puntambekar spoke about complications and the videos on the problems one can face were engrossing. Interestingly, most of the complications were treated laparoscopically as well. Dr Rajendra Kerkar gave a detailed account of minimal access surgery and future directions in gynecological cancers.

The next session was a sponsored session on prevention of cervical cancer. Dr Ashwini Bhalerao Gandhi and Dr Bhaskar Pal from Kolkata spoke on this subject and this was followed by an audience interaction.

The last session was the Indo Israeli Keynote Address. Professor Gilad Ben-Baruch brought with him his immense experience on the subject of his interest, organ preservation and conservatism in Gynecological Oncology. His talk was peppered with case notes and personal insights which enthralled the audience.

On the whole, the scientific content was of high quality. The program ran on schedule with adequate time for the audience to participate. The venue was well-appointed with a sumptuous lunch buffet. The hotel staff extended a great deal of co-operation to make the program a pleasure to attend and organize.

Organizing Secretaries: Sulbha Arora, Parikshit Tank, Rajendra Kerkar
Joint Organizing Secretaries: Rajendra Nagarkatti, Vipin Checker, SN Agrawal
President: Gautam Allahbadia
Secretary: Ashwini Bhalerao Gandhi