New Delhi, September 16, 2026: As the burden of cancer among women continues to rise, the focus of cancer care is increasingly moving beyond treating the tumour to addressing the wider physical, reproductive and quality-of-life needs of women. Apollo Athenaa Women’s Cancer Centre, Asia’s first dedicated cancer centre for women, has cared for more than 30,000+ women since its launch, including patients from 110+ cities.

The centre has undertaken 1000+ cancer surgeries, 4000+ chemotherapy cycles, 100+ plastic and breast reconstruction procedures and 120+ VABB procedures, while building an integrated ecosystem across breast and gynaecological oncology, reconstruction, medical and precision oncology, diagnostics and rehabilitation.

The centre’s specialised capabilities include AI-enabled breast imaging and diagnosis, advanced diagnostics, next-generation sequencing, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, as well as an integrated gynaecological oncology and robotic surgery programme for complex gynaecological cancers. An AI-enabled Cancer Navigator programme further supports coordination across the patient journey, bringing together clinical expertise, technology and care pathways around the individual woman. Athenaa has also established a comprehensive Lymphedema Clinic, accredited by the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN), integrating diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation, microsurgery and long-term follow-up to address the physical and quality-of-life impact of cancer treatment. The centre’s approach also extends beyond treatment to prevention, early detection and proactive women’s health, including initiatives such as ProHealth, which focuses on preventive and personalised health assessment.

“As Apollo Athenaa marks its first anniversary, this is a very special milestone for us, seeing an idea born from a deep understanding of women’s needs grow into a place where thousands of women have found specialised care, support and hope,” said Ms Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group. “Every woman facing cancer carries with her a life, a family, her hopes and her sense of self, and her care must embrace all of these. Apollo Athenaa was envisioned to bring advanced science, specialised expertise and compassion together within one coordinated model. Our Gender Intelligent Care approach is about designing care around the woman and her journey, while keeping clinical excellence and technology at its core. As we look to the future, our focus will be on strengthening specialised programmes, advanced treatment capabilities, research, prevention and early detection, and survivorship care.

The next phase of cancer care must bring early detection, specialised multidisciplinary care, advanced technology and supportive care together. The goal is not only better cancer outcomes, but also enabling women to preserve function, quality of life and their lives beyond treatment. Greater access to specialised teams, appropriate referral pathways and advances in diagnostics, precision medicine and surgery can help make cancer care increasingly individualised while keeping the woman at the centre of every clinical decision.

Through its Care Beyond Cure approach, Athenaa integrates areas such as fertility, reconstruction, rehabilitation, nutrition, emotional support and survivorship into the cancer-care journey. The approach recognises that recovery cannot be defined only by the completion of treatment, but also by how well a woman is able to return to her everyday life, preserve function and navigate life beyond cancer.

As cancer care continues to evolve, the larger shift is towards moving from fragmented, disease-centric treatment to coordinated, personalised and technology-enabled care that considers the woman at every stage - from prevention and early detection to treatment, recovery, survivorship and life beyond cancer. Athenaa will continue to build on this approach by strengthening specialised clinical programmes, advanced technology, research and access to women-centric cancer care.