Vivek Agarwala

Dr. Vivek Agarwala is a medical oncologist specializing in medical oncology and hemato-oncology. He is currently working as Director of the Department of Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Howrah, and RN Tagore Hospital, Kolkata. His work focuses on comprehensive cancer care across multiple tumor types, including lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, ovarian, urological, head and neck, gastrointestinal, and hematologic malignancies. He has been recognized with the ISMPO TYSA 2016 – Torrent Young Scholar Award and the Best Orator Award.

Current Position

• Director, Department of Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology — Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Howrah
• Director, Department of Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology — RN Tagore Hospital, Kolkata

Education

• MBBS — Gauhati Medical College & Hospital, Guwahati (2007)
• MD, General Medicine — GSVM Medical College, Kanpur (2012)
• DM, Medical Oncology — Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai (2016)
• DNB, Medical Oncology — National Board of Examinations (NBE) (2017)
• Certificate of Completion of Training, Medical Oncology (2017)
• Certificate of Completion of Training, Medical Oncology — ESMO (2017)

Professional Experience

• Director, Department of Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology — Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Howrah, and RN Tagore Hospital, Kolkata
• Senior Resident, Medical Oncology — Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai (2013–2016)
• Senior Registrar, Medical Oncology and Haemato-Oncology — Artemis Hospital and Research Institute (2012–2013)
• Junior Resident, Department of Medicine — GSVM Medical College and LLRM Hospital (2009–2012)
• Over 11 years of clinical experience in oncology

Memberships / Honors / Awards

• ISMPO TYSA 2016 — Torrent Young Scholar Award
• Best Orator Award
• Indian Society of Medical and Pediatric Oncology (ISMPO)
• Indian Cooperative Oncology Network (ICON)
• European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
• European Association for Clinical Research (EACR)
• Foundation for Head & Neck Oncology (FHNO)
• Immuno-Oncology Society of India (IOSI) — Founder Member
• Indian Medical Association, Kolkata
• OGS-STARS Core Group — Founder Member
• Indo Asian Society of Clinical Oncology (IASCO) — Founder & Executive Member
• Asian Cardio Oncology Society (ACOS) — Founder Honorary General Secretary
• International Cardio Oncology Society (ICOS)
• Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC)
• Asian NIID (Nutrition, Inflammation and Infectious Disease) Society — Founder Member

Areas of Specialization

• Medical oncology
• Hemato-oncology
• Lung cancer treatment
• Breast cancer management
• Colorectal cancer treatment
• Prostate cancer therapy
• Ovarian cancer treatment
• Urological cancer care
• Head and neck cancer treatment
• Gastrointestinal cancer management
• Leukemia treatment
• Lymphoma therapy
• Melanoma and skin cancer care
• Sarcoma cancer treatment
• Pediatric cancer care

Publications

Dr. Vivek Agarwala has an extensive body of research spanning medical oncology, hemato-oncology, cardio-oncology, and real-world clinical studies, with contributions to major journals and international conference proceedings including ASCO, ESMO, and JCO Global Oncology. The full list of publications is provided below.

Harbeck N, Modi S, Pusztai L, Ohno S, Wu J, Kim SB, Yoshida A, Fabi A, et al. Neoadjuvant trastuzumab deruxtecan alone or followed by paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab for high-risk HER2-positive early breast cancer (DESTINY-Breast11): a randomised trial. Annals of Oncology. 2025. 78 citations.
Teske AJ, Moudgil R, López-Fernández T, Barac A, Brown SA, Deswal A, et al. Global Cardio Oncology Registry (G-COR): registry design, primary objectives, and future perspectives of a multicenter global initiative. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 16(10), e009905. 2023. 33 citations.
Batra A, Patel B, Addison D, Baldassarre LA, Desai N, Weintraub N, et al. Cardiovascular safety profile of taxanes and vinca alkaloids: 30 years FDA registry experience. Open Heart 8(2). 2021. 25 citations.
Mathew A, Joseph S, Boby J, Benny S, Veedu J, Rajappa S, Rohatgi N, et al. Clinical benefit of comprehensive genomic profiling for advanced cancers in India. JCO Global Oncology 8, e2100421. 2022. 22 citations.
Patil VM, Noronha V, Joshi A, Agarwala V, Muddu V, Ramaswamy A, et al. Comparison of paclitaxel-cetuximab chemotherapy versus metronomic chemotherapy consisting of methotrexate and celecoxib as palliative chemotherapy in head and neck cancers. Indian Journal of Cancer 54(1), 20-24. 2017. 14 citations.
Parikh PM, Aggarwal S, Biswas G, Gulia S, Agarwala V, Basade M, et al. Practical Clinical Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Cancer Associated Anemia (CAA) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). South Asian Journal of Cancer. 2023. 13 citations.
Ng CT, Tan LL, Sohn IS, Bonilla HG, Oka T, Yinchoncharoen T, et al. Advancing cardio-oncology in Asia. Korean Circulation Journal 53(2), 69-91. 2023. 10 citations.
Dauccia C, Agostinetto E, Arecco L, Lobo-Martins S, Gitto M, Lyon AR, et al. Cardiovascular toxicity of breast cancer treatments: from understanding to enhancing survivorship care. ESMO Open 10(6), 105128. 2025. 9 citations.
Agarwala V, Prakash G, Singh R, Paliwal P, Tiwari S, Juber S, Singh VP, et al. Evaluation of treatment with carvedilol in comparison to propranolol in primary/secondary prophylaxis of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding. Indian Journal of Gastroenterology 30(Suppl 1), a46. 2011. 9 citations.
Batra U, Prabhash K, Noronha V, Deshpande R, Khurana S, Bhat GM, et al. Prevalence of EGFR Mutations in Patients With Resected Stage I to III Nonsquamous Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results of India Cohort. JCO Global Oncology 11, e2400353. 2025. 8 citations.
Agarwala V, Ramaswamy A, Dsouza S, Pande N, Goel M, Patkar S, et al. Resection of Isolated Port Site Metastasis in Gall Bladder Cancers—Careful Selection and Perioperative Systemic Therapy May Improve Outcomes. Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology 9(3), 427-431. 2018. 8 citations.
Agarwala V, Ramaswamy A, Joshi A, Patil VM, Noronha V, Menon S, et al. Treatment outcomes of metastatic nonclear cell renal cell carcinoma: A single institution retrospective analysis. South Asian Journal of Cancer 7(04), 226-230. 2018. 6 citations.
Agarwala V, Choudhary N, Gupta S. A risk-benefit assessment approach to selection of adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with early breast cancer: A mini review. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 38(04), 526-534. 2017. 6 citations.
Joshi A, Agarwala V, Ramaswamy A, Noronha V, Patil VM, Menon S, et al. Initial experience with first-line pazopanib in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a single institution data. Indian Journal of Cancer 53(4), 575-578. 2016. 5 citations.
Bhattacharyya GS, Agarwala V. ALK inhibitors fuel ALK resistance mutation: Precision medicine takes on drug resistance. Cancer Research, Statistics, and Treatment 3(2), 405-406. 2020. 4 citations.
Joseph SE, Mathew A, Rajappa SJ, Rohatgi N, Sirohi B, Jain R, et al. Clinical relevance of comprehensive genomic profiling for advanced cancers in India. Journal of Clinical Oncology 39(15_suppl), e18718-e18718. 2021. 3 citations.
Patil V, Joshi A, Noronha V, Agarwala V, Chougule A, Kanan S, et al. Randomized phase 3 open label study of quality of life of patients on Pemetrexed versus Erlotinib as maintenance therapy for advanced non-squamous non-EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Oncotarget 10(59), 6297. 2019. 3 citations.
Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Manna R, Sharma A, Roy M, Dasgupta A, et al. Real-World Evaluation of a Trastuzumab Emtansine Biosimilar (Ujvira®) in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer. Cureus 18(2). 2026. 2 citations.
Agarwala V, Mv C, Sen N, Sharma A, SM C, Sardar PK, Basu M. 679P Low-dose durvalumab in combination with etoposide and platinum as first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: a multi-institutional study. Annals of Oncology 35, S1658-S1659. 2024. 2 citations.
Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Choudhary N, Sharma A, Roy M, et al. Unlocking the potential of rucaparib: A case series on its impact in metastatic breast cancer with mutations. Cureus 16(5). 2024. 2 citations.
Parikh P, Aggarwal IB, Daddi A, Narasimhan PN, DSouza HH, Agarwal V, et al. Ibrutinib and atrial fibrillation as cardiotoxicity–A new safety warning that impacts overall survival. International Journal of Molecular and Immuno Oncology 7(2), 54-57. 2022. 2 citations.
Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Mondal P, Chanana R, Parthasarathy KM, et al. Weekly paclitaxel, carboplatin and cetuximab (PCC) combination followed by nivolumab in platinum-sensitive recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. F1000Research 12, 802. 2025. 1 citation.
Ramshankar V, Radhakrishnan V, Krishnamurthy A, Mukherhee TA, et al. 19P Molecular subtyping and prediction of risk of recurrence for early stage receptor positive breast cancer using Nanostring nCounter: First study from India. Annals of Oncology 35, S1411. 2024. 1 citation.
Parikh PM, Sood T, Agarwala V, Kate S. Has convalescent plasma therapy hesitancy increased COVID-19 mortality? South Asian Journal of Cancer 10(01), 42-45. 2021. 1 citation.
Chopra R, Yadav K, Agarwala V, Mehrotra R. Reflections on evolution of breast cancer care in India over the past 4 decades. American Society of Clinical Oncology – Educational Book. 2021. 1 citation.
Agarwala V, Basu M, Chandrakanth MV, Sharma A, Dasgupta A, Sen N, et al. Home-based palliative care delivery by a freelancing palliative care specialist to terminally ill cancer patients in Kolkata, India: An audit of the service model. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), e24045-e24045. 2026.
Roy M, Agarwala V, Parikh PM, Ghosh A, Guha A, Ghose A, Bapna A, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of cardio-oncology amongst oncologists and cardiologists of south-east Asia: An Asian Cardio-Oncology Society (ACOS) survey. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), e24019-e24019. 2026.
Vaid AK, Papadatos-Pastos D, Tiwari P, Ghosh I, Dasgupta A, Agarwala V, et al. Distribution of BRAF functional classes across select tumor lineages with implications in current targeted therapy paradigms. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), e15176-e15176. 2026.
Roy M, Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Muddu VK, Chanana R, Saha R, et al. ADAPT-T-DXd: Multi-institutional real-world study of dose-adapted trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2-positive and HER2-low metastatic breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), 1106-1106. 2026.
Rohatgi N, Patil DS, Medhi K, Tiwari P, Goyal S, Limaye SA, et al. Tumor-agnostic and cross-indication actionable alterations in IDH-wildtype glioma: Precision oncology opportunities in an aggressive disease. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), e14060-e14060. 2026.
Kulkarni SS, Goyal S, Agarwala V, Schuster S, Patil DS, Maskomani S, et al. Integrated tissue transcriptome deconvolution of grade-associated tumor microenvironment patterns in CNS tumors. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), e14039-e14039. 2026.
Palo U, Mondal D, Dutta T, Sengupta J, Agarwala V, MV C. Outcomes of robot-assisted interval debulking surgery in older women with advanced ovarian cancer unfit for laparotomy: A real-world study. Journal of Clinical Oncology 44(16_suppl), e17600-e17600. 2026.
Sesikeran N, Muddu VK, Rajappa SJ, Mallavarapu KM, Chandrakanth M, et al. 300eP Breast cancer research on adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibitor engagement (BRACE): A multicenter retrospective observational study from India. ESMO Open 11. 2026.
Panda SS, Mahajan A, Moharana L, Samantaray L, Chandrakanth M, et al. 27eP Real-world efficacy and safety of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1 Biosimilar, Ujvira) in early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer: A multicentre pooled retrospective study. ESMO Open 11. 2026.
Ramaswamy A, Shenoy V, Bahl A, Rauthan A, Krishna VM, Talwar V, et al. Comparative outcomes with low-dose and standard-dose immune checkpoint inhibitors in microsatellite stable advanced gastric/gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. ESMO Gastrointestinal Oncology 11, 100302. 2026.
Yoo C, Pitiyarachchi O, Tan A, Thambamroong T, Velasco R, Uehara Y, et al. PP415 Utilisation, reimbursement, and barriers to accessing sequencing tests for cancer care in the Asia-Pacific region: KSMO initiatives for cancer care inequity. ESMO Open 11. 2026.
Chandrakanth VM, Agarwala V, Sardar P, Nayak H, Choudhary N, et al. NIVO-ALTER Study: Assessing Nivolumab’s Altered Dosing in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 47(01), A123. 2026.
Chandrakanth VM, Agarwala V, Sardar P, Nayak H, Choudhary N, et al. COMBAT Study: Comparative Real-World Evaluation of CDK 4/6 Inhibitors in HR+/HER2− Metastatic Breast Cancer. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 47(01), A125. 2026.
Kapoor A, Patel K, Chandrakanth VM, Gupta A, Sansar B, Mishra BK, et al. Impact of CPS on Indian Recurrent/Metastasis Oral Cavity Patients Treated with Cetuximab Plus Chemotherapy: A Real-World Study. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 47(01), A126. 2026.
Patel K, Kapoor A, Chandrakanth VM, Gupta A, Sansar B, Mishra BK, et al. Real-World Outcomes in Indian Patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer Treated with Erbitux and Chemotherapy: Impact of CPS Score (RACE-Head Neck India). Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 47(01), A061. 2026.
Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Kalyan S, Suresh B, Talwar V. Indian Real-World Data of Avelumab + Axitinib (A+Ax) in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (aRCC). Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 47(01), A119. 2026.
Agarwala V, Chandrakanth MV, Sharma A, Roy M, Dasgupta A, Mandal K, et al. PP01.29: Low Dose Durvalumab Consolidation After Definitive Chemoradiotherapy in Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer–A Real-World Multicentre Experience From India. Journal of Thoracic Oncology 21(1), S19. 2026.
Pitiyarachchi O, Tan AC, Thambamroong T, Velasco R Jr, Uehara Y, et al. Utilization, Reimbursement, and Barriers to Accessing Sequencing Tests for Cancer Care in the Asia-Pacific Region: KSMO Initiatives to Address Cancer Care Inequity. Cancer Research and Treatment. 2025.
Wong ANM, Franco PG, Agarwala V, Dinh ATL, Kapoor A, Kogawa T, et al. 1139P Asia-Pacific analysis of European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) study on availability, out of pocket costs (OPC) and accessibility of antineoplastic medicines. Annals of Oncology 36, S2176. 2025.
Manna R, Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Sharma A, Choudhary N, et al. 841P Prospective interventional study on nonspecific group discussion as a part of psychological rehabilitation in breast cancer patients (HOPE study). Annals of Oncology 36, S2009. 2025.
Vaid AK, Chandrakanth MV, Sharma D, Kataria SP, Mudgal A, Gautam D, et al. 257eP Cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer: A real-world study in Indian settings. Annals of Oncology 36, S1854. 2025.
Manna R, Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Sharma A, Roy M, Dasgupta A, et al. 117P Real-world evaluation of a trastuzumab emtansine biosimilar in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer: A single-centre retrospective analysis from India. Annals of Oncology 36, S1804. 2025.
Chandrakanth MV, Vaid AK, Agarwala V, Sharma A, Roy M, Dasgupta A, et al. 258eP Cetuximab in maintenance after induction, right-sided tumors, and rechallenge in metastatic colorectal cancer: Insights from real-world practice in India. Annals of Oncology 36, S1854-S1855. 2025.
Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Sharma A, Roy M, Dasgupta A, Nayak H, et al. 187eP Clinical efficacy and safety of genexol PM in patients with solid tumours: A retrospective observational study in Indian patients. Annals of Oncology 36, S1829-S1830. 2025.
Mahajan A, Panda SS, Moharana L, Samantaray L, Chandrakanth MV, et al. 127P Study of the profile of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients receiving T-DM1 biosimilar, in a real-world setting. Annals of Oncology 36, S1808. 2025.
Ramaswamy A, Prajapati R, Agarwala V, Singhal A, Syed NA, Thanky AH, et al. Practice Patterns and Outcomes in Advanced Colorectal Cancers From a Multi-Institutional Analysis: Real-World Evidence From India. JCO Global Oncology 11, e2500356. 2025.
Vaid AK, Limaye S, Sarin A, Reddy VA, Datar R, Gupta S, Medhi K, et al. 225eP VEGF pathway activation in circulating tumor cells: A biomarker and target for response and resistance in solid malignancies. Annals of Oncology 36, S295. 2025.
Agarwala V, Mv C, Sharma A, Roy M, Mandal K, Nayak H, Basu M, et al. 42P Real-world comparative study of low versus standard dose nivolumab in second-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. ESMO Open 10. 2025.
Agarwala V, Bhargava PG, Ramaswamy A, Mp R, Pinninti R, Rajappa SJ, et al. 11P Molecular testing and monoclonal antibody utilization patterns and outcomes in advanced colorectal cancers in India: A multi-institutional real-world study. ESMO Open 10. 2025.
Choudhary RK, Limaye SA, Vamadevan P, Agarwala V, Goswami V, P H, et al. Molecular profiling of head and neck cancers (HNCs): Genetic heterogeneity, immune landscape, and therapeutic targets. Journal of Clinical Oncology 43(16_suppl), e18058-e18058. 2025.
Ramaswamy A, Srinivas S, Lavingia V, Boppana M, Vora C, Singh R, et al. Consensus Statements for Clinical Practice in Advanced/Metastatic Colorectal Cancers in India Using a Modified Delphi Method. South Asian Journal of Cancer 14(02), 103-122. 2025.
Ramshankar V, Gore A, Mukherjee T, Dadagouda C, Zaveri S, Bipte S, et al. P278: Molecular subtyping and prediction of risk of recurrence for early stage receptor positive breast cancer using NanoString nCounter–First Study from India. The Breast 80, 104111. 2025.
Vaddoriya D, Ramaswamy A, Agarwala V, Tiwari P, Talreja V, Baghmar S, et al. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in deficient mismatch repair (dMMR)/microsatellite instability (MSI) non-colorectal cancers: Real-world Indian data and the use of biomarkers. Journal of Clinical Oncology 43(4_suppl), 347-347. 2025.
Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Sopory P, Nayak H, Parikh PMM, Roy M, et al. Cresp®: transforming the landscape of chemotherapy-induced anemia–a comprehensive retrospective real-world analysis in 523 Indian patients. Frontiers in Oncology 15, 1418327. 2025.
Agarwala V, Sardar PK, Rickards J, Dent S, de Azambuja E, Brown SA. Innovations in cardio-oncology community engagement. Innovations in Cardio-Oncology, 437-462. 2025.
Agarwala V, Sen N, Dent S, Ghose A, Price EB, Rickards J, et al. The place of cardio-oncology in oncology. Innovations in Cardio-Oncology, 31-67. 2025.
Talukdar PB, Samanta SK, Sinha N, Maiti C, et al. Comparative analysis of neutrophil engraftment following mobilisation with G-CSF vs G-CSF plus plerixafor after peripheral blood haematopoietic stem cell transplant. International Journal of Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Pharma Research 13. 2024.
Agarwala V, Ghosh A, Guha A, Parikh PM, Dent S. Cancer treatment-related cardiovascular disease–real world data in cardio-oncology. Frontiers in Oncology 13, 1277042. 2023.
Goyal G, Chandrasekharan A, Avaronnan M, Talreja V, Bhosale BB, et al. Real-world experience of checkpoint inhibitors across India: CRSF 2020-01. Journal of Clinical Oncology 41(16_suppl), e18862-e18862. 2023.
Agarwala V, Mv C, Daga A, Basu M, Ganguly M, Kumar S, Mandal K, et al. 1578P Scalp cooling system for prevention of chemotherapy induced alopecia: A single center one-year prospective observational study. Annals of Oncology 33, S1267. 2022.
Agarwala V, Chandrakanth MV, Mondal PK, Chanana R. 275P Weekly paclitaxel, carboplatin and cetuximab (PCC) combination followed by nivolumab in platinum-sensitive recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. Annals of Oncology 31, S1350. 2020.
Parekh B, Ghadlyalpatil N, Chandarana EV, Hingmire SS, Sumant G, et al. Immunotherapy in esophageal cancer–An update. International Journal of Molecular and Immuno Oncology 4(2), 34-40. 2019.
Agarwala V, Patil VM, Noronha V, Joshi A, Chougule A, Trivedi V, et al. Quality of life analysis of Pemetrexed versus Erlotinib maintenance in EGFR mutation negative advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 36(15_suppl), 9024-9024. 2018.
Agarwala V, Patil VM, Noronha V, Joshi A, Zanwar S, Muddu V, Dhumal S, et al. Paclitaxel-cetuximab versus oral metronomic chemotherapy as palliative chemotherapy in head and neck cancers–A match pair analysis. European Journal of Cancer 54, S29-S29. 2016.
Noronha V, Joshi A, Patil V, Dhumal S, Agarwala V, Prabhash K. Excellent response to oral metronomic chemotherapy in unresectable adenocarcinoma of external auditory canal. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology 36(02), 132-132. 2015.
Bajpai J, Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, D’souza S, Puri A, Rekhi B, et al. Is non-high dose-methotrexate (HD-MTX) based, dose-dense, combination chemotherapy (CT) a valid choice in high tumor burden and nutritionally challenged osteosarcoma? Pediatric Blood & Cancer 61, S177-S177. 2014.
Joshi A, Agarwala V, Noronha V, Dhumal S, Juvekar S, Prabhash K. Response to oral metronomic chemotherapy in carcinoma of the Buccal Mucosa: A case report. Indian Journal of Cancer 51(3), 400-401. 2014.
MV C, Agarwala V, Manna R, Sharma A, Roy M, Dasgupta A, Mandal K, et al. Clinical Response to T-DM1 Plus Tucatinib in Pre-treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Case Series.
Raj A, Chandrakanth MV, Agarwala V, Roy M, Sardar PK, Mandal K. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis as a rare immune-related adverse event of durvalumab in metastatic small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.