Through the VTB platform, these spoke centres will be able to consult hub-based specialists for treatment planning, case discussions, and overall clinical guidance.
Published Nov 22, 2025 | 11:02 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 22, 2025 | 11:02 AM
Cancer.
Synopsis: Officials say the VTB model is designed to strengthen clinical decision-making and minimise variations in cancer treatment across different facilities. Following a hub-and-spoke system, major tertiary hospitals equipped with comprehensive oncology departments will act as hubs, while hospitals lacking specialist teams will function as spokes.
Tamil Nadu is set to roll out Virtual Tumour Boards (VTBs) to make cancer care more accessible and consistent across the State, particularly for patients who rely on smaller or remote hospitals.
The Health Department has approved a plan to link district headquarters hospitals and tertiary care centres with specialist hubs through a dedicated digital platform. The initiative will be implemented by the National Health Mission and the Tamil Nadu Cancer Care Mission, in collaboration with the Directorate of Medical Education and the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services.
Officials say the VTB model is designed to strengthen clinical decision-making and minimise variations in cancer treatment across different facilities. Following a hub-and-spoke system, major tertiary hospitals equipped with comprehensive oncology departments will act as hubs, while hospitals lacking specialist teams will function as spokes. Through the VTB platform, these spoke centres will be able to consult hub-based specialists for treatment planning, case discussions, and overall clinical guidance.
A recent Government Order shows that Tamil Nadu has 38 tertiary care institutions with different levels of cancer-care capability.
Among the 38, 11 hospitals have all three major oncology departments and can provide complete treatment, eight offer oncology services but lack certain departments, and 19 do not have exclusive oncology units, offering limited cancer-related care through allied specialties.
To ensure timely diagnosis and treatment, several Regional Cancer Care Centres and major government hospitals already conduct institutional tumour boards.
Commenting on the State’s virtual initiative, Dr. S. Subbiah, vice president of Indian Association of Surgical Oncology, (IASO), president of Tamil Nadu Association of Surgical Oncology, (TASO), said to South First that, Virtual Tumour Boards are not new and have long been used at Tata Memorial Hospitals.
“Virtual tumour boards are already functioning at centres like Tata Memorial in Chennai and Mumbai, and anyone can present a case and get an expert opinion,” he noted.
He explained that “the only limitation is that online consultation rules still apply because we are not physically seeing the patient, and the opinion is based only on reports and what the primary consultant shares.”
He added that, “this system is extremely useful in a country where travel and logistics are major challenges, but it needs sincere implementation to make the most impact.”
As part of the state-wide network, medical college hospitals in Chengalpattu, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore will be connected to the Arignar Anna Memorial Cancer Hospital.
This is expected to help these centres access specialists for complex cases that require multidisciplinary inputs.
Similarly, hospitals in Dharmapuri, Salem, Krishnagiri, Nagapattinam and the Anna Nagar Peripheral Hospital will be linked to Government Royapettah Hospital.
Officials say these linkages will help bring uniformity in treatment decisions across regions with differing levels of oncology infrastructure.
The Health Department expects that the introduction of VTBs will help standardise cancer care across Tamil Nadu and ensure that patients receive timely, expert-guided treatment, regardless of the facility at which they first seek care.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
