GO-SKILL 2026 COMPLETION REPORT

Surgical Mastery in Gynaecologic Oncology: CME & Hands-on Skill Workshop
Theme: Mastering the Art of Cytoreductive Surgery in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Date: 19 September 2026
Venue: Auditorium, Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati & Satellite CME: Hotel Lily, GS road

The Department of Gynaecologic Oncology, Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), successfully organized GO-SKILL 2026 (CME & Hands-on Skill Workshop) in association with the Association of Oncologists of Northeast India and the Association of Surgical Oncologists of Northeast India (NASO) on 19 September 2026. The program brought together specialists and trainees for a focused academic and practical discussion on contemporary surgical management of advanced ovarian cancer. Inaugural Session The conference was formally inaugurated by Dr. Bibhuti Borthakur, Director, BBCI. The inaugural ceremony began with the traditional lamp-lighting by the dignitaries, marking the opening of the academic program. A special highlight of the inaugural session was the release of the GO-SKILL 2026 Handbook by Dr. Bibhuti Borthakur, Director, BBCI. The handbook was formally unveiled in the presence of Dr. Ashok Das, Deputy Director, BBCI, along with members of the editorial team and contributing authors. Dr. Debabrata Barmon, Organizing Chairperson, GO-SKILL 2026, also addressed the gathering and briefly outlined the objectives of the CME, emphasizing the importance of strengthening surgical knowledge, practical skills, and multidisciplinary decision-making in managing advanced ovarian cancer. Dr. Jita Parija, President, Association of Gynaecologic Oncologists of India (AGOI), was felicitated in recognition of her contribution to the field of gynaecologic oncology. Scientific Programme The scientific programme began with the first session, “Foundations of Complete Cytoreduction.” The session focused on the fundamental principles and surgical strategies required to achieve optimal cytoreduction in advanced ovarian cancer. Topics including the principles of complete cytoreductive surgery, total omentectomy and diaphragmatic peritonectomy provided participants with a structured approach to complex ovarian cancer surgery. The session also emphasized surgical anatomy, operative planning, and practical techniques to achieve complete macroscopic resection while maintaining patient safety. Subsequent scientific sessions addressed upper abdominal and gastrointestinal surgery, retroperitoneal surgery, management of intraoperative complications, HIPEC, and ethical aspects of clinical research. The lectures provided a balanced combination of surgical technique, evidence-based practice, and management of challenging operative situations. The scientific component concluded with an interactive expert panel discussion on the stepwise management of advanced ovarian cancer. The discussion brought together experienced oncologists and surgeons and provided an opportunity to discuss decision-making, treatment sequencing, and practical challenges encountered in routine clinical practice. The daytime CME was attended by approximately 65 delegates and included around 20 faculty members. Hands-on Surgical Skills Workshop Following lunch, a structured hands-on surgical skills workshop was conducted for 25 registered workshop delegates. The practical training focused primarily on bowel and bladder repair, enabling participants to practice essential surgical techniques under faculty supervision. The workshop emphasized proper tissue handling, suturing techniques, repair principles, and complication prevention. The small-group format enabled close faculty interaction and gave participants the opportunity to translate concepts discussed during the scientific sessions into practical surgical skills. Evening Satellite CME The academic activities continued in the evening with a Satellite CME at Hotel Lily, Guwahati, attended by approximately 60 participants. The evening programme focused on evolving systemic and precision-treatment strategies in gynaecologic malignancies. Scientific discussions included the changing treatment algorithm of cervical cancer with immunotherapy, the emerging role of immunotherapy in ovarian cancer, and germline testing in ovarian cancer. The sessions highlighted the increasing importance of integrating molecular diagnostics and modern systemic therapies with surgical management to improve outcomes in women with gynaecologic cancers. The Satellite CME was followed by a cultural evening and dinner, providing an opportunity for informal interaction among faculty, delegates, and colleagues. Conclusion GO-SKILL 2026 successfully combined focused scientific discussions, expert interaction and structured hands-on surgical training. The programme provided a comprehensive platform for strengthening knowledge and operative skills in advanced ovarian cancer surgery while also highlighting developments in immunotherapy, molecular testing and multidisciplinary cancer care. The enthusiastic participation of faculty and delegates contributed significantly to the program's success and reinforced GO-SKILL's objective—to promote academic excellence, surgical skills, and improved outcomes in gynaecologic oncology.

NASO CONFERENCE, MAY 2026

A CME was conducted by NASO at Hotel Atithi in Guwahati on 23rd May 2026. This CME had a theme on Breast Cancer. The organizing secretary of the CME, Dr. Ashutosh Sahewalla welcomed all the delegates and the faculty members. This was the first time when case presentations by MCh residents were introduced in the CME. The first session “Case presentation which was on Early Breast Cancer” was done by Final year Resident from B. Borooah Cancer Institute with Dr Gaurav Das and Dr Rajiv Paul being the Examiner. The next session was moderated by Dr Sunil Barua, Dr Joyadithya Chakraborty and Dr Manthan Thakkar. This session included talks on “Mammography and recent advances in breast imaging” by Dr Pratap Kakati, followed by Sponsored talk on “Management of low and ultralow Her2 positive breast cancer” by Dr Duncan Khanikar, followed by “Deescalation surgery of axilla in breast cancer” by Dr Pratap Deb and lastly “Principles of oncoplasty and role of locoregional flaps in breast reconstruction” by Dr Sandeep Ghosh. The next session was a “Case presentation on Locally advanced breast cancer” by Final year Resident from State Cancer Institute with Dr Ganesh Das and Dr Deepjyoti Kalita being the examiners. The next academic session was moderated by Dr Jadunath Buragohain, Dr Rajkumar Prakash and Dr Areendam Barua. The session started with talk on “Role of risk reduction surgery for patients with high risk of breast cancer” by Dr Arpan Choudhury followed by “Robotic surgery in breast cancer: Real world evidence and current status” by Dr Arshnoor Kaur followed by “Prevention and management of lymphedema following axillary dissection in breast cancer” by Dr Swati Sattavan. The fifth and the last session was the panel discussion on “Management of axilla in breast cancer” which was moderated by Dr Pompi Daimari Buragohain. The panelists included Dr Gaurav Das, Dr Gautam Sarma (Radiation Oncologist), Dr Sandeep Ghosh, Dr Swati Sattavan and Dr Lachit Kalita (Oncopathologist). The CME was highly successful being attended by around 60 - 70 delegates and faculty members. Lastly Dr Ganesh Das delivered the Vote of Thanks at the conclusion of the event which was followed by a group photo.

Report prepared by-
Dr Ashutosh Sahewalla
Organizing Secretary
Dated: 25.05.2026

NASO CONFERENCE, OCTOBER 2024

A one-day conference was organized by NASO in association with J&J India on 19th October, 2024 at Hotel Palacio, Guwahati. The theme of the conference was organ-based discussion. The program was designed to exclusively and exhaustively discuss scientific content regarding gastric and colorectal cancers. It started with an “Oncology Quiz” conducted by Dr. Arpan Choudhury. There were several participating teams from Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute, State Cancer Institute and Guwahati Medical College. The two invited guest faculty were from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Dr. Vikram Chaudhari initially made a presentation on procedure protocols of D2 gastrectomy and then conducted a panel discussion on the subject matter. The panelists included Dr. Ganesh Das, Dr. D J Kalita, Dr. Rajkumar Prakash, Dr. Dwipen Kalita, Dr. Areendam Barua and Dr. Mrinal Das. The next presentation was by Dr. Aswin D’Souza, on the subject of sphincter preservation surgeries followed by a panel discussion on colorectal cancer. The panelists were Dr. Siddhartha Hazarika, Dr. Jadunath Buragohain, Dr. Aftab Ahmed, Dr. Dilip Killing, Dr. Shivaji Sharma, Dr. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Dr. Ashutosh Sahewalla. Thereafter, Dr. Gaurav Das made a video presentation on the topic of sphincter preservation surgeries. This was followed by two journal club presentations by MCh surgical oncology residents. Dr. Masoom Parvez from State Cancer Institute presented the “PRODIGE 23 trial” and Dr. Dibyajyoti Deka from Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute presented the “TOPGEAR trial”. The moderators for the Journal Club discussions were Dr. Aswin D’Souza, Dr. Vikram Chaudhari, Dr. Caleb Harris, Dr. Jyoutishman Saikia and Dr. M. Raleng. The guest faculty, Dr. Aswin D’Souza and Dr. Vikram Chaudhari were specially felicitated for their participation in the event. The first prize of the Oncology Quiz was won by Dr. Manthan Thakkar and Dr. Mohit Malhotra of BBCI. The second prize went to Dr. Dibyajyoti Deka and Dr. Jayavarmaa of BBCI and the third prize was won by Dr. Yogesh J and Dr. Shahir S Merchant of BBCI. It was a highly successful event and was attended by 70 delegates. At the very end, an executive committee meeting was done to reach at various key decisions regarding the upcoming NASOCON 2024 annual conference of NASO.

Report prepared by-
Dr. Gaurav Das
Organizing Secretary
Dated: 20.10.2024

REPORT OF NASO CME II

On July 27, 2024, a CME was conducted by NASO at Hotel Atithi in Guwahati. This was the second in the series of EXPERT ONCOLOGY DISCUSSIONS. The organizing secretary of the CME, Dr. Gaurav Das welcomed all the delegates and the faculty members and started the program with an ONCOLOGY EXAMINATION for students pursuing super-specialty courses in Oncology from 3 to 4 PM. Thereafter the core agenda topics followed. Session moderators Dr. Deepjyoti Kalita and Dr. Ganesh Das ensured that interactive discussions happened during the course of the presentations made by Dr. Rajkumar Prakash on “Feasibility of Screening in Esophageal Cancer”, Dr. Niju Pegu on “VATS Esophagectomy” and Dr. Rajiv Paul on “Decision-making regarding the extent of surgery in Gastric Cancer”. The next session was moderated by Dr. Abhijit Talukdar and Dr. Bhabesh Kumar Das. Dr. Tridip Borah spoke on “ERAS in Colorectal Cancer Surgery: Anesthetist’s perspective” and Ms. Dimi Ingtipi and Dr. Caleb Harris deliberated on “Nutritional Rehabilitation”. Dr. Jadunath Buragohain and Dr. Caleb Harris moderated the third session. Dr. Asish Kumar Gupta made a vivid presentation about “Uncommon Case Scenarios in Head and Neck Cancer Surgeries”. 27th July was World Head and Neck Cancer Day and his presentation was one of the highlights, stimulating a lot of audience interaction. Dr. Gaurav Das made a video presentation on “Internal Hemipelvectomy”. The fourth session comprised of two expert talks. Dr. Debabrata Barmon delivered a talk on “Sentinel Node Biopsy in Ovarian Cancer” and Dr. Gaurav Chayan Das presented about “Interventional Radiologist’s role in Biliary Tumours”. The new segment introduced in this CME was Journal Club presentations. This session was expertly conducted by Dr. Caleb Harris. The first presenter was Dr. Areendam Barua who discussed about the REVATE trial. Dr. Jayavarmaa (MCh Surgical Oncology resident, BBCI, Guwahati) presented the next one. It was about the JCOG 1109 NExT study. The presentation was well dissected by a panel of experts which included Dr. Abhijit Talukdar and Dr. Ganesh Das, Dr. Manas Dubey (medical oncologist) and Dr. Ghritashee (radiation oncologist). The final segment was a panel discussion on locally advanced breast cancer conducted by moderator Dr. Shivaji Sharma. The panelists included Dr. Joydeep Purkayastha, Dr. Deepjyoti Kalita, Dr. Ashutosh Sahewalla, Dr. Arpan Choudhury, Dr. Manas Dubey, Dr. Ghritashee, Dr. Rukmini Bezbaruah (Oncopathologist), Dr. Rahul R. Ramchiary (Radiologist) and Dr. Priyanka Sharma (Nuclear Medicine). The CME was a highly successful one being attended by over 70 delegates and faculty members. Dr. Caleb Harris delivered the Vote of Thanks at the conclusion of the event.

Report prepared by-
Dr. Gaurav Das
Organizing Secretary
Dated: 28.07.2024

HEALTH & CANCER SCREENING CAMP, MAY 2024

A health and cancer screening camp was organized at Tynring Health Subcentre by the Department of Surgical Oncology and College of Nursing(Medical Surgical Nursing Dept) of NEIGRIHMS on 31st May, 2024 to observe World No Tobacco Day. This was supported by the Northeast India Association of Surgical Oncology(NASO). Apart from offering treatment for common ailments, cancer screening was performed for those who were at high risk for oral, breast and cervical cancers. Dr. Caleb Harris, Additional Professor, Surgical Oncology, addressing the gathering said that if tobacco, kwai and alcohol is reduced, several cancers can be prevented. Mrs. Nochovono Tase, Principal, College of Nursing, led her students in imparting health and cancer awareness training to all gathered there. Dr. Daniala, Medical Superintendent, said that there are plans to do similar activities in the villages around NEIGRIHMS on a regular basis. Dr. Nalin Mehta, Director, NEIGRIHMS encouraged the team and assured all support for such activities in the future. Around 40 patients benefited from this camp.

REPORT OF NASO CME I

On May 11, 2024, a CME was organised by NASO at Hotel Lily in Guwahati. It was the first CME in the series of EXPERT ONCOLOGY DISCUSSIONS. The organizing secretary Dr. Gaurav Das welcomed all the delegates and the faculty members attending the CME. The program started at 4 PM with an Oncology Quiz for students of various specialization courses in Oncology. It was conducted by Dr. Shivaji Sharma. This was followed by a video session. Dr. Akash Guha and Dr. Arun PS, both fourth year MCh residents (post-MCh surgical oncology degree ad-hoc Assistant Professors) at Dr. Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute, presented videos on laparoscopic low anterior resection and total minimally invasive esophagectomy respectively. Their videos were well appreciated by the oncology consultants attending the CME. Thereafter, Dr. Caleb Harris (Associate Professor in Surgical Oncology at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong) presented a master video on Mediastinoscopy and VAMLA procedures and Dr. Niju Pegu (Senior Consultant Surgical Oncologist at Health City Hospital, Guwahati) presented a video on VATS Thymectomy. The next session was on subject specific CME talks. Dr. Kaberi Kakati (Professor, Head and Neck Cancer Surgery at BBCI, Guwahati) spoke about thyroid incidentalomas and their management. Dr. Upasana Baruah (Professor, Gynecological Oncosurgery, BBCI) delivered a talk on primary mucinous carcinoma of ovary. Dr. Rajiv Paul (Associate Professor, Surgical Oncology, State Cancer Institute, Guwahati) explained about pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and compared it with other surgeries (classical and pylorus-resecting PDs). Dr. Deepjyoti Kalita (Professor, Surgical Oncology, BBCI, Guwahati) delivered a talk on laparosocopic gastrectomy and also showed a surgical video of the procedure. The third segment included case-based discussions. Dr. Yepeto Lohe (Senior Resident, Surgical Oncology, NEIGRIHMS) presented a case of completion radical cholecystectomy and presented evidence about timing of such surgeries. Dr. Ashutosh Sahewalla (Assistant Professor, SCI, Guwahati) discussed about a case of locally advanced esophageal cancer and conducted it like a panel discussion (the panelists being Dr. Shivaji Sharma, Dr. Arpan Choudhury, Dr. Sarfaraz and Dr. Niju Pegu). Finally, Dr. Siddhartha Basuroy (MCh Resident, Head and Neck Cancer Surgery, BBCI) presented a cases of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma cT4b. The program was a highly successful event being attended by over 50 delegates. The team comprising of Dr. Yogesh J, Dr. Sahir Suleiman Merchant and Dr. Vijaylakshmi was the winner of the Oncology Quiz and they were felicitated with certificates and trophies. Dr. Gaurav Das (organizing secretary) and Dr. Caleb Harris (organizing chairman) thanked all the delegates, faculty members and the event sponsor.

Report prepared by-
Dr. Gaurav Das
Organizing Secretary
Dated: 12.05.2024