‘Newer cancer treatment doesn’t mess up childhood’

Mumbai: Vasai resident Dhruv (name changed) has been battling a brain tumour since 2018 and underwent surgery in 2022. But looking at the class II student, no one can guess he is still on anti-cancer medication. "He is more energetic than his classmates," said his father.When 12-year-old Nikhil (name changed) went shopping for vegetables, only his parents and doctor knew he just finished a chemotherapy session. The wannabe chef wanted to cook dinner for his family. Dhruv and Nikhil's experiences, said doctors on International Childhood Cancer Day on Sunday, underline the availability of newer medicines that are "more efficient, with lower toxicity" and don't compromise the quality of life of children. Targeted therapy (that targets unique proteins or gene mutations and spares healthy cells), monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy, and proton radiation therapy are the drivers here.
Dr Girish Chinnaswamy, head of paediatric oncology at Tata Memorial Centre, Parel, said treatment of paediatric cancer, which affects over 50,000 children across India annually, doesn't "mess up childhood" in most cases. "It's no longer about ‘just cure them at all cost', but about offering cure with the least long-term damage." The centre treated 4,000 new paediatric cancer cases across its 8 centres in 2025-26. Treatment is more home-based than hospital-centric and doesn't impair kidneys, cause infertility, or cognitive problems.Consider the TMH statistics. Over 350 children with brain tumours, head and neck tumours, and retinoblastoma underwent proton beam radiotherapy at TMC's ACTREC centre in Kharghar instead of regular radiation."We used targeted therapy for over 150 children and also offer immunotherapy (which boosts the body's own immune system to destroy cancer cells) for difficult-to-treat acute leukaemias, Hodgkin's lymphomas, high-grade brain tumours, and neuroblastomas," said Dr Chinnaswamy.Dr Shweta Bansal from H N Reliance Hospital, Girgaum, concurred that tremendous improvement was made in the last 5 years in India. While paediatric cancer cure rates are 80%-90% in the West, they are lower in India. "But our cure rates are improving," she said, tracing it to awareness not only among the doctors, but also among the parents. This resulted in children coming in early stages to oncologists.There also are better diagnostics and more paediatric oncologists. "Previously, whether a patient was 10 or over 18, all were treated by oncologists. It makes a difference when children are treated by paediatric oncologists who are trained on the right doses, how to talk to the child, and how to take care of their nutrition and psychosocial growth," said Dr Bansal.