Dr. Belal Bin Asaf
Thoracic (Chest) Surgeon
Director, Institute of Chest Surgery,
Chest Onco-Surgery & Lung Transplantation, Medanta Hospital
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[email protected]
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Dr. Belal Bin Asaf
Thoracic (Chest) Surgeon
Director, Institute of Chest Surgery,
Chest Onco-Surgery & Lung Transplantation, Medanta Hospital
[email protected]
For Delhi residents researching esophageal cancer treatment in Delhi, it helps to start with a clear, honest answer: Dr. Belal Bin Asaf does not run a physical clinic within Delhi. He consults and operates as Director of the Institute of Chest Surgery, Chest Onco-Surgery & Lung Transplantation at Medanta Hospital, Noida (Sector 50) — a short drive across the Delhi–Noida border via the DND Flyway, and a common, well-established route for Delhi patients seeking specialised thoracic cancer care that isn't available at every hospital in the city.
Dr. Belal completed a fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea, and brings over 15 years of experience — spanning Robotic Thoracic Surgery, VATS, Lung Cancer, and Myasthenia Gravis & Thymoma treatment — to his practice as an esophageal cancer doctor in Delhi patients regularly travel to see. Rather than compromising on where care happens, this page explains what esophageal cancer is, how it's treated, and why many Delhi families make that short trip for surgical expertise concentrated in thoracic onco-surgery.
The esophagus is the tube connecting the throat to the stomach, and cancer here falls into two categories. Adenocarcinoma is the type more frequently discussed in urban Indian populations because of its link to chronic acid reflux (GERD) and Barrett's esophagus — a change in the lining of the lower esophagus caused by years of acid exposure. It typically develops in the lower third of the esophagus. Squamous cell carcinoma, on the other hand, is driven mainly by smoking, alcohol consumption, and habitual intake of very hot food or drink, and tends to appear in the upper or middle esophagus. Delhi's mix of lifestyle-related reflux disease and tobacco use means both types are relevant to patients here.
The symptom that brings most patients to a specialist is progressive dysphagia: swallowing that feels normal with liquids initially but becomes harder with solid food, and over weeks or months makes even soft foods difficult to get down. Other warning signs include steady, unintentional weight loss, chest discomfort that doesn't resolve with usual antacid remedies, food regurgitation, and in some cases a change or hoarseness in the voice. General physicians and gastroenterologists across Delhi commonly see patients first for reflux-type complaints, and referral to a thoracic oncology specialist becomes necessary once dysphagia or weight loss enters the picture.
Diagnosis begins with an upper GI endoscopy and biopsy, which visually examines the esophageal lining and confirms cancer through tissue sampling — this is the definitive first step and is widely available at gastroenterology centres across Delhi. Once cancer is confirmed, staging investigations determine the treatment roadmap: CT scans of the chest and abdomen assess local spread, PET-CT checks for distant disease, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) precisely measures how deep the tumour has grown into the esophageal wall and whether nearby lymph nodes are involved. This staging picture is what separates patients who need surgery alone from those who need chemotherapy or chemoradiation first.
For early-stage tumours limited to the esophageal lining, endoscopic resection or surgery alone can be curative. When disease is locally advanced, the standard approach is neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation to reduce tumour size, followed by esophagectomy — surgical removal of the affected esophageal segment with reconstruction of the digestive pathway. Dr. Belal Bin Asaf performs esophagectomy using minimally invasive and robotic-assisted techniques where clinically suitable, an approach that generally reduces surgical trauma and supports quicker recovery compared with conventional open surgery. Metastatic disease is managed with systemic (drug-based) therapy rather than surgery. Every case is discussed by a multidisciplinary tumour board spanning oncology, gastroenterology, and thoracic surgery, and because swallowing is compromised by the disease itself, nutritional counselling and support are built into the plan from diagnosis through recovery.
Delhi has no shortage of hospitals, but thoracic onco-surgery — and specifically esophagectomy performed through minimally invasive or robotic methods — is a narrow subspecialty requiring a surgeon with focused volume and experience. Dr. Belal Bin Asaf is Director of the Institute of Chest Surgery, Chest Onco-Surgery & Lung Transplantation, has over 15 years of experience in complex chest and esophageal surgery, and was the first surgeon in India to perform a Robotic Subxiphoid Thymectomy. For Delhi patients, the decision often isn't about finding care outside the city out of necessity, but about choosing a specialist whose practice is concentrated specifically on thoracic cancer surgery rather than general surgical oncology. This is why many Delhi patients searching for an esophageal cancer specialist in Delhi, or trying to identify the best oncologist for esophageal cancer in Delhi for surgical management, are directed to his practice by their treating physicians.
Though there is no esophageal cancer hospital in Delhi itself offering this level of dedicated thoracic onco-surgery, Medanta Hospital, Sector 50, Noida is easily reached from most parts of Delhi — East Delhi, Central Delhi, and South Delhi included — via the DND Flyway or the Noida-Delhi border crossings, with travel times comparable to crossing between distant parts of Delhi itself during peak hours. Many patients from Mayur Vihar, Preet Vihar, and CP find the commute straightforward, and the hospital's full diagnostic and treatment infrastructure means imaging, biopsy review, chemotherapy, and surgery don't require shuttling between different facilities.
If you're in Delhi and have been told you need an esophageal cancer evaluation, or you're experiencing swallowing difficulty that has persisted for more than a couple of weeks, don't wait for it to worsen. Reach out to Dr. Belal Bin Asaf's team at Medanta Hospital, Sector 50, Noida to arrange a consultation and get a clear picture of your diagnosis and treatment options.
Prefer to book a consultation online right away? Dr. Belal Bin Asaf also sees patients for this condition in Noida and Gurgaon. Learn more about his full practice as thoracic surgeon in Delhi.
Medically Written & Reviewed By
Director, Institute of Chest Surgery, Chest Onco-Surgery & Lung Transplantation — trained at AIIMS, New Delhi, with a Thoracic Surgery fellowship at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea; first surgeon in India to perform a Robotic Subxiphoid Thymectomy. View full credentials & experience →
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