Çiğdem Benlice, MD

Çiğdem Benlice, MD is a general surgeon at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul, where she works within the General Surgery unit. Her practice covers colorectal surgery, including the surgical care of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as endocrine and thyroid surgery, obesity surgery, the treatment of hemorrhoids and other anorectal diseases, digestive system surgery, and robotic surgery. She has more than 14 years of experience in medicine.

Dr. Benlice graduated from İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 2012. Between 2013 and 2015 she was a Research Fellow in the Department of Colorectal Surgery (Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH, USA), and from 2015 to 2016 she continued there as a Clinical Research Fellow. From 2016 to 2018 she undertook surgical residency training (ACGME) in the Department of General Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, OH, USA. She completed her General Surgery training at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 2023. From 2023 to 2024 she worked as a General Surgery Specialist at Elbistan State Hospital as part of her compulsory state service obligation, and in 2025 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services. She is a member of the Turkish Colon and Rectum Surgery Association and the Turkish Surgical Association, and a Candidate Member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. She has co-authored peer-reviewed publications on colorectal surgery topics, including the surgical management of colon and rectal cancer, robotic surgical technique, and methods of surgical training.

Clinical focus

A substantial part of Dr. Benlice’s work concerns the digestive system and the colon and rectum. She evaluates and operates on patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and performs colorectal surgery for other conditions of the large bowel. She also treats anorectal disorders and carries out hemorrhoid surgery. Where appropriate, she applies robotic surgical techniques, including robotic gallbladder surgery and robotic hernia surgery, alongside conventional gallbladder surgery.

Her practice also includes endocrine surgery, with a focus on thyroid disease treatment and thyroid surgery. In the field of obesity treatment, she performs obesity surgery, including sleeve gastrectomy. The choice of procedure, and whether surgery is advisable at all, is decided individually after clinical assessment and review of the patient’s existing investigations.

How Dr. Benlice works with international patients

Dr. Benlice consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior medical reports and imaging, arranges appointments, and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination, and a discussion of the possible options. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their situation before traveling.