Dr. Marat Seitkali

Dr. Marat Seitkali is a consultant medical oncologist at the National Oncology Center in Almaty — Kazakhstan's largest city and commercial capital, home to the country's most advanced oncology institution. Kazakhstan carries a significant cancer burden, with lung, colorectal, and gastric cancers among the leading malignancies, and the National Oncology Center in Almaty manages the country's most complex oncology cases.

With 16 years of oncology practice, Dr. Seitkali specializes in thoracic and gastrointestinal oncology, applying molecular profiling to guide systemic therapy decisions. Kazakhstan has been expanding access to targeted therapies and immunotherapy through government health programs, and Dr. Seitkali is an active advocate for ensuring Kazakhstani cancer patients receive access to the most effective modern treatments.

For lung cancer, he applies EGFR, ALK, ROS1, KRAS, and PD-L1 testing to guide treatment selection — prescribing targeted therapies where applicable and immunotherapy combinations for high PD-L1 expressors. For gastrointestinal cancers, he manages colorectal and gastric cancer with contemporary cytotoxic and biologic regimens.

Dr. Seitkali trained in France through a Kazakhstan-France academic exchange and holds ESMO certification. He communicates in Kazakh, Russian, and English.

Dr. Seitkali obtained his MD from the Kazakh National Medical University and completed Oncology residency at the National Oncology Center Almaty. He undertook a Medical Oncology Fellowship at the Institut de Cancérologie de l'Ouest in Nantes, France, through a Kazakhstan-France academic exchange program. He holds a PhD in Oncology from Kazakh National Medical University and the ESMO certification. He maintains active ESMO membership and participates in ESMO East programs. His Nantes fellowship provided advanced training in precision oncology, immunotherapy protocols, and multi-disciplinary cancer care at a leading French comprehensive cancer centre, fundamentally shaping his approach to systemic cancer treatment at the National Oncology Center.

Dr. Seitkali's oncology practice covers solid tumours and lymphoma. In lung cancer, he prescribes osimertinib for EGFR-mutated NSCLC, alectinib for ALK-positive disease, pembrolizumab monotherapy for high PD-L1 NSCLC, and platinum-based doublets with PD-1 inhibitor combinations. For colorectal cancer, he manages FOLFOX/FOLFIRI with bevacizumab and anti-EGFR antibodies for RAS wild-type disease. For gastric cancer, he manages trastuzumab-containing regimens for HER2-positive disease and nivolumab combinations where accessible. He performs bone marrow biopsies for lymphoma staging and manages R-CHOP for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He also provides palliative oncology care including pain management, anti-emetic regimens, and goals-of-care discussions through the National Oncology Center's multidisciplinary team.

Dr. Seitkali has published in the Kazakhstan Medical Journal and has contributed to ESMO East registry data. He participates in the Kazakhstan Society of Clinical Oncology activities and presents at the national oncology conference and ESMO Eastern Europe meetings. He collaborates with French oncology centers through the established academic exchange program.

The National Oncology Center Almaty is Kazakhstan's principal cancer centre and serves Kazakhstan's domestic population as well as oncology referrals from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other Central Asian countries where specialist oncology care is limited. Dr. Seitkali consults in Kazakh, Russian, and English. Russian is the regional lingua franca for Central Asian patients. Video consultations are available for oncology second opinions for patients from Central Asia, allowing remote review of pathology reports, staging imaging, and molecular test results before patients travel to Almaty for in-person consultation. The hospital provides international patient coordination including visa support and accommodation assistance for patients coming from neighbouring countries.

Dr. Seitkali has been recognized by the Kazakhstan Society of Clinical Oncology for contributions to lung cancer treatment and the introduction of molecular-targeted therapy at the National Oncology Center. He serves on the National Oncology Center tumour board and the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health oncology protocols committee. He received the ESMO East Award for Outstanding Contribution to Oncology Education in Central Asia and has been invited as a faculty member at ESMO annual congresses to present on oncology practice in Kazakhstan. He received the National Oncology Center Research Award for his work on EGFR mutation prevalence in Kazakh lung cancer patients.