- Gaurav Kumar's mother was diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder carcinoma and given three months to live
- A second internal hospital review extended her life by two years through surgery
- Families face challenges managing extensive cancer medical records and fragmented information
In 2023, 27-year-old Gaurav Kumar walked into a leading cancer hospital expecting clarity. He walked out with a timeline.
His 49-year-old mother had been diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder carcinoma. The doctors were direct. Three months, he was told, focus on love, care and family.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Kumar recalls the moment as one that "reduced the future to a number". "I wasn't just scared of losing my mother," he told NDTV. "I was terrified because I didn't know what to do next."
That uncertainty, he says, revealed deeper cracks in India's oncology ecosystem - cracks that would later shape the direction of BigOHealth, the health-tech venture he co-founded with his engineering classmate Shubham.
A Second Review That Changed The Outcome
Like many Indian families confronted with a terminal prognosis, Kumar sought multiple opinions. Hospitals in Delhi and Mumbai, different specialists. new files added at every visit.
At a prominent Delhi hospital chain, the conclusion seemed final. The cancer had spread to the liver. Surgery was not an option. But Kumar pushed back.
Through professional contacts, he requested another internal review - this time by a different department within the same hospital. The assessment shifted. The case required hepatic evaluation. Surgery, doctors said, was possible.
The procedure extended his mother's life by nearly two years. "This was possible because I knew whom to call," Kumar told NDTV. "One department said no. Another said yes. Most families don't get that second door."
For patients from smaller towns or without networks in major hospitals, a single opinion often becomes the final word. According to Kumar, that gap between access and awareness is one of India's biggest oncology blind spots.
The Burden Of Medical Data
During his mother's treatment, Kumar encountered another challenge - information overload.
Over years of cancer care, families accumulate hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pages of medical records: scans, biopsy reports, chemotherapy charts, surgical notes and lab results. Before every consultation, caregivers organise files. Doctors, often pressed for time, must scan years of history in minutes.
"In those moments, families are acting like data managers," Kumar told NDTV. "All they want is to be present."
The experience, he says, exposed a structural issue. Care continuity is fragile when information is scattered.
From Personal Crisis To Platform Strategy
BigOHealth, initially focused on broader healthcare access, began pivoting toward oncology decision support after Kumar's personal experience.
The company developed OncoVault, a platform designed to organise cancer patients' medical records into structured timelines. Reports are categorised, arranged chronologically and summarised into concise clinical briefs intended to give oncologists a rapid overview of a patient's journey.
The company says patient data is de-identified before analysis to maintain privacy. "Doctors don't need more paperwork," Kumar told NDTV. "They need structured context so they can focus on decisions."
Addressing The Clinical Trial Gap
India carries a substantial share of the global cancer burden but contributes only a small fraction to global clinical trial participation. Kumar argues that fragmented patient data limits efficient trial matching.
By structuring anonymised treatment histories and tumour profiles, BigOHealth aims to improve eligibility identification for advanced therapies. "Access to innovation should depend on eligibility, not geography," he told NDTV.
A Mission Rooted In Experience
Kumar is careful to describe BigOHealth as a support layer, not a substitute for clinicians. The goal, he says, is to reduce confusion in high-stakes moments.
His mother's extended survival beyond the initial prognosis remains central to that mission. "That time mattered," he told NDTV. "It showed me that guidance and specialisation can change outcomes."
As cancer incidence rises and tertiary hospitals remain overburdened, Kumar believes India must focus not only on expanding treatment capacity but also on improving clarity and navigation. "Cancer tests families. It tests systems," he told NDTV. "We want to make sure no family feels lost simply because they didn't know where to turn."
For Kumar, the journey that began with a terminal prognosis has evolved into a broader effort - to ensure that in India's cancer fight, hope is not determined by who you know, but by what is possible.
