Thane, Maharashtra, India, 6 November 2026: Dr Amol Bhanushali, thoracic surgeon at the Centre for Lung Surgery, Dr Bhanushali Hospital, Thane, is seeing patients from across Mumbai and Thane who have a lump on the chest wall or a mass in the chest picked up on a scan done for another reason, with assessment, biopsy and, where needed, removal handled by one surgical team.
Chest tumours fall into two groups that need different operations. Mediastinal tumours grow in the space between the lungs, around the heart, windpipe and major blood vessels, and include thymomas, lymphomas, germ cell tumours, cysts and nerve tumours. Chest wall tumours arise in the ribs, breastbone or the muscle and soft tissue of the chest, and may start there or spread from cancers elsewhere in the body.
Many are found by chance on a CT done for something else. Not every mass is cancer, and not every benign one can be left alone. The decision turns on the type of tumour, its size, whether it is growing and what it is pressing on. Some, such as mediastinal lymphoma, are treated mainly with chemotherapy, and surgery is limited to taking a biopsy.
"A family hears the word mass on a report and assumes the worst," said Dr Amol Bhanushali, Thoracic Surgeon, Dr Bhanushali Hospital and Centre for Lung Surgery. "The first job is to find out exactly what it is. Sometimes that means a simple operation to remove a benign cyst. Sometimes it means no operation at all, and sending the patient to the oncologist instead."
Where surgery is needed, Dr Bhanushali removes mediastinal tumours, including thymomas, through minimally invasive VATS or robot assisted surgery where the tumour allows, and performs chest wall resection with reconstruction where ribs or the breastbone must be removed. He trained in robotic thoracic surgery at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and Duke University, USA.
Patients looking for chest tumour treatment in Mumbai and Thane can book a consultation through his website.
About Dr Bhanushali Hospital and Centre for Lung Surgery
Dr Bhanushali Hospital in Thane, near Mumbai, houses a dedicated Centre for Lung Surgery led by Dr Amol Bhanushali, a thoracic surgeon with over 15 years of experience trained at Tata Memorial Hospital, Cedars Sinai Medical Centre and Medanta. The centre performs minimally invasive and open thoracic procedures for tuberculosis, lung cancer and other chest conditions.