The Department of Surgical Oncology was started in St. John's in the year 2008 as a Division of Surgical Oncology by Dr. Suraj Manjunath, then an associate professor in the Department of Surgery. By 2009, with the increasing number of patients and national recognition, it obtained the status of a full fledged department. The growing clinical work prompted the Academy to set up a stand alone Cancer Centre in the St. John's campus, which now hosts all cancer related departments.

The Department associates closely with the St. John's Research Institute in doing cutting edge molecular and epidemiological research, and has more than 50 publications to its credit