Karnal, Haryana, 23rd October, 2024: Medanta Gurugram, one of India’s leading super-speciality hospitals ranked as the Best Private Hospital in India by Newsweek, organised an awareness session for paediatricians in Karnal focusing on advanced treatments for blood cancer in children. Led by Dr. Satya Prakash Yadav, Director of Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplant at Medanta Gurugram, the session aimed to raise awareness among clinicians about life-saving treatment options for paediatric blood cancer patients using Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) and CAR T-Cell Therapy. The initiative sought to highlight the importance of these cutting-edge therapies in addressing the growing burden of blood cancer among children. Blood cancer, or hematologic cancers, affects the blood, bone marrow, and / or lymphatic system. It occurs when DNA mutations cause abnormal blood cells to multiply uncontrollably, disrupting the body's ability to fight infections and heal properly. Every year, globally, over 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer. In India, more than 50,000 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed each year. Among these, leukaemia is the most common, accounting for about 30% of all childhood cancers. Leukaemia can occur at any age but it is mostly seen in children aged 2 to 6 years, with 46% cases being seen in 2- and 3-year-olds, dropping to 9% by age 19. While the disease can’t be prevented, its treatment has evolved over the years with strides being made through Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) and CAR T-cell therapy. While BMT from a fully matched sibling donor has a success rate of over 90%, providing a potentially permanent cure, cutting-edge immunotherapy called CAR T-cell therapy is an emerging option for treatment of some of the most complex cases of childhood leukaemias and lymphomas. CAR T-cell therapy harnesses the body's own T cells, a type of immune cell, to target and destroy cancer cells. Dr. Satya Prakash Yadav, Director of Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplant at Medanta, Gurugram, stated, “Despite advancements in treatment, blood cancer remains a significant health concern in India. For many patients, bone marrow or stem cell transplants become their only chance of recovery. However, with only 0.09% of the population registered as potential blood stem cell donors, the gap in donor availability is alarming. This shortage is further exacerbated by a lack of awareness, diverse gene pool, and widespread misconceptions about the treatment which makes a huge gap in demand and supply in India. Our efforts focus on educating families about the success rates, costs, and support systems associated with BMT and emerging therapies like CAR T-cell therapy, which offer new hope for treating complex cases. By raising awareness and increasing donor registrations, we aim to close the demand-supply gap and improve access to life-saving treatments.” He further emphasised the need for doctors, healthcare providers, policymakers, and the public to work together in raising awareness, dispelling myths, and creating a supportive environment for bone marrow transplants and CAR T-cell therapy. “Through these collective efforts, we can save countless lives and significantly improve health outcomes for thousands of children affected by blood cancer,” said Dr Yadav.