Indian doctors: Hall of fame - Part 2: Dr Manjit S Bains, mesothelioma expert

By Syed Akbar
Millions of people all over the world suffer from a form of cancer called mesothelioma, and many of them look towards Dr Manjit S Bains as their Messiah. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and Dr Manjit Bains is a world authority from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, on this form of cancer.
A thoracic surgeon par excellence, Dr Manjit Bains is also famous for his clinical expertise in thoracic surgical oncology, lung cancer, oesophageal cancer, mediastinal tumours, pulmonary metastases, video-assisted thoracic surgery, pulmonary and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, including laser endoscopy, and tracheobronchial and oesophageal stents.

"I am a medical graduate from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi," he says with a bit of pride. After he settled down in the USA, he took up studies, surgeries and research on mesothelioma. Today he is credited with dozens of mesothelioma resources around the world. He has authored several books on cancer and successfully dealt with severely complicated kinds of thoracic cancers, earning accolades from leading research institutions and patients alike.
Dr Manjit Bains, who has completed four decades in the profession, has been included in the panel of about two dozen professional societies around the world. He has to his credit 150 research publications and books on cancers.
He has mastered the art of lung cancers, some of which requires removal of the entire lung along with partial removal of other organs. "We have been studying the resection and reconstruction of the chest wall," in cases of mesothelioma.
The pioneering research work carried out by him revealed that the use of a rigid prosthesis is possibly better but should only be done to patients who have gone through a rigorous selection process. He is also credited with research on the survival rate of cancer patients who are treated with pleurectomy (removal of outermost layer around the lung) rather than extrapleural pneumonectomy (removal of portions of lungs and outermost lung layer).