If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and feel strongly about having a female surgeon, you are not alone. Many women want their breast surgery performed by another woman. This preference is personal, entirely valid, and something that well-organised cancer centres take seriously. If you are considering travelling to India for robotic breast surgery, here is what the landscape looks like and what questions to ask before you commit.
Are there female robotic breast surgeons in India?
Yes. India has trained a number of female specialists in robotic breast oncosurgery. Several of the country's leading cancer hospitals employ women who perform robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy, robotic skin-sparing mastectomy, and robotic breast-conserving surgery. Some of these surgeons were among the first in Asia to be trained specifically in robotic breast techniques.
One well-documented example is Dr Jayanti Thumsi, Lead Consultant at Apollo Cancer Centre in Bengaluru. According to Apollo Hospitals, she is one of India's first female surgeons trained specifically in robotic breast surgery, and she performed Karnataka's first robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy. This gives you a concrete reference point: female surgeons with dedicated robotic breast surgery training do exist at major Indian centres, and some have a substantial procedure history to draw on.
Other large Indian cancer networks - including Max, Fortis, Manipal, and Tata Medical Centre - employ female breast oncosurgeons at various levels of seniority. Not all of them will have robotic breast surgery training. This is why asking one specific question matters more than relying on a hospital's general reputation: does the operating surgeon perform robotic procedures, and is she available on the dates you need?
Why the gender of your surgeon may matter to you
For many women, this is not about surgical skill. It is about comfort, privacy, and feeling understood. Breast cancer surgery is intimate. It changes your body in ways that affect how you see yourself. Many women say they find it easier to discuss reconstruction choices, nipple-sparing options, body image, and intimacy after surgery with someone who shares the same anatomy.
Research confirms this preference exists, though the picture is mixed. A 2023 study published in ecancer examined gender preferences among breast cancer patients when choosing their breast surgeon. The majority of participants reported no gender preference. However, a meaningful proportion specifically requested a female surgeon, with privacy and comfort cited as the main reasons.
An earlier study referenced within that research found that when women imagined a hypothetical scenario where they needed a mastectomy, 40 per cent said they would prefer a female surgeon to carry out the procedure. That is a significant minority - large enough that any well-run cancer centre should treat this as a normal, accommodatable request rather than an unusual one.
A 2024 paper in the World Journal of Surgery explored what drives this preference further. The key finding was that women who preferred a female surgeon were not questioning the technical competence of male surgeons. They were expressing a desire to be cared for by someone they believed would personally understand what losing or changing a breast means to a woman.
None of this suggests a male surgeon cannot provide excellent, compassionate care - many do. But if having a female surgeon matters to you, that is a completely legitimate care requirement. You deserve a healthcare pathway that takes it seriously.
What an all-female care team looks like
An all-female care team means more than just the person at the robotic console. At leading Indian cancer hospitals that offer this option, the team may include a female breast oncosurgeon who leads the procedure, a female anaesthetist or anaesthesiology assistant, a female scrub nurse in the operating theatre, and female ward or recovery nurses during your post-operative days in hospital. It may also include a dedicated female international patient coordinator who manages your logistics and acts as your named point of contact throughout your stay in India.
Not every hospital will offer all of these by default. Some will require a direct and specific request made early in the process. Many of India's larger cancer centres - particularly those with established international patient departments - regularly treat women from communities in South Asia and the Middle East where all-female clinical contact is an expectation rather than an exception. The infrastructure to accommodate this is often already in place. Ask about it directly when you first make contact with any hospital you are considering.
When you enquire, ask which specific roles in your clinical team can be filled by women, and ask for written confirmation before you travel. A well-organised hospital will also flag any exceptions in advance - for instance, if the anaesthetist available on your specific theatre date cannot be female. That transparency is a good sign, not a red flag.
How this compares to what UK women typically find
In the NHS, breast surgical teams are mixed-gender by default. The NHS does recognise a patient's right to request a same-sex clinician in certain circumstances, but availability depends on individual trusts, local staffing levels, and the specific procedure required. Robotic breast surgery is still limited across both NHS and UK private settings. This means finding a female robotic breast surgeon in the UK - particularly one with a high case volume in nipple-sparing or hidden-scar techniques - can be difficult. You can read more about why this gap exists in our article on why most NHS hospitals cannot currently offer robotic breast surgery.
In India's larger cancer hospitals, female surgeons and coordinators are more often available as a standard part of the patient pathway. The systems were built to serve a diverse patient population where these requests are routine. That does not automatically make Indian hospitals better suited to your needs - clinical outcome data, surgeon experience, and hospital accreditation all matter equally - but it does mean the all-female care team option is more reliably available there than in most UK settings.
What questions to ask before you travel
Before you book anything, get clear written answers to the following questions from any hospital you are seriously considering:
- Is the named operating surgeon female? What is her specific robotic breast surgery case volume, and how many robotic procedures has she performed in the past year?
- Can the anaesthetic team be all-female or primarily female?
- Will I have a named, English-speaking female international patient coordinator throughout my stay?
- Are the nurses on the recovery ward and in my room female?
- Can I request a female chaperone for all clinical examinations and dressing changes?
- If any scheduled team member changes before or during my admission, how will I be informed, and what are my options at that point?
A hospital that cannot answer these questions clearly, or becomes vague when you push for specifics, is one to approach with caution. A well-organised centre treats these as routine questions and provides written confirmation without hesitation.
Before making any final decisions about where to have your surgery, it is also worth getting an independent clinical review of your reports by a team outside your current provider. You can arrange a confidential review of your reports by Art of Healing Cancer, which can help clarify whether robotic surgery is the right option for your case and whether a suitably experienced female specialist is available for your specific situation before you commit to any plans.
Is robotic surgery with a female surgeon right for your case?
Your preference for a female surgeon does not change the clinical criteria for robotic breast surgery. Robotic procedures may be suitable if you have early to intermediate-stage breast cancer and are a candidate for nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy, or for breast-conserving surgery. Robotic approaches tend to be less suitable for very large tumours, certain presentations of inflammatory breast cancer, or cases where prior surgery or radiation has significantly altered the anatomy of the breast or chest wall.
If you have been told you need a mastectomy and want to know whether a nipple-sparing robotic approach could be possible for you, that question is worth pursuing before you make a final decision. Many women who receive a standard mastectomy recommendation have not yet been reviewed by a surgeon with specific robotic breast surgery training. Getting that evaluation does not mean abandoning your current care team. It means making a fully informed decision with all options in view.
Our guide on how to evaluate a robotic breast cancer surgeon walks you through the specific questions to ask about training, case volume, and outcomes - relevant regardless of the surgeon's gender.
Practical steps for UK women
If you are a UK woman considering India for robotic breast surgery with an all-female care team, a clear process helps. Start by gathering your current pathology reports and any imaging you have. Then get an independent clinical assessment confirming whether you are a candidate for robotic breast surgery. Once you have that assessment, you can contact hospitals directly and ask the questions listed above. Request a written care plan covering the full surgical pathway, your recovery stay in India, and the handover plan to your UK oncologist for any adjuvant treatment that follows.
Continuity of care matters. Your surgery may happen in India, but your chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or hormonal therapy is likely to continue in the UK. A reputable Indian cancer hospital will produce a comprehensive written discharge summary in a format your UK doctors can work from directly. For more on how this handover works in practice, see our article on getting a remote second opinion on robotic breast surgery.
Recovery time in India before flying home is typically one to two weeks for a robotic mastectomy, depending on your individual progress and whether immediate reconstruction was performed. Your surgical team will confirm when it is safe for you to travel. If you would like to explore your options discreetly before approaching hospitals directly, you are welcome to submit a confidential enquiry through BreastCancer.One. A female coordinator is available to help you understand what is realistically possible for your specific case and to connect you with the right clinical team in India.
When to talk to your doctor
Talk to your oncologist or breast surgeon before making any decisions about travelling for surgery. Share any information you gather from international centres and ask how it fits with your existing care plan. If your current team cannot offer the surgical technique or team composition you want, ask whether a formal referral for a second surgical opinion is possible. In the UK, this is a reasonable request that your GP or oncologist can support.
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your oncologist or care team about your specific situation.