TMH study finds pediatric cancer survival rate shooting up

Of a total of 14,043 patients treated by the department between 2010 and 2018, 10,799 have survived, resulting in an overall survival rate of 48 percent throughout the study period. Dr Shripad Banavali, director of academics at TMC

MUMBAI: A comprehensive 12-year study conducted by the paediatric department of Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) has shown an increase in the survival rate of paediatric cancer patients from 41 percent to 58 percent. The study, presented at the Indian Academy of Paediatrics’ annual conference in Chennai, highlighted the success of the Tata Memorial Centre’s (TMC) initiatives in enhancing the overall well-being of child cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Bengaluru, India - Aug. 8, 2018: Friends congratulate Dhriti for shaving her head during the Gift Hair Gift Confidence campaign at Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru, India, on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. More than 50 students donated hair for the marginalised cancer patients. They donated in two sizes 8 inches or 10 inches. The Cherian foundation in partnership with Ladies Circle India and B&H Exports made such first ever initiative in Bengaluru. After the Pan India hair donation drive the mega wig donation drive to Kidwai Memorial Hospital and subsequently Adyar Cancer Institute will happen. (Photo by Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times) (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

Of a total of 14,043 patients treated by the department between 2010 and 2018, 10,799 have survived, resulting in an overall survival rate of 48 percent throughout the study period. Dr Shripad Banavali, director of academics at TMC, attributes this success to a holistic approach facilitated by the establishment of ImPaCCT (Improving Paediatric Cancer Care and Treatment) in 2010.

“We realised long ago that treating patients was not enough and a holistic approach was necessary, for which ImPaCCT was established,” explained Dr Banavali. The approach includes financial assistance, education, nutritional support, a dedicated social worker team and assistance in providing accommodation to help patients continue and complete their treatment. ImPaCCT, founded with the aim of ensuring that every paediatric patient at TMH received treatment and support irrespective of their family background, has played a pivotal role in the improved survival rates.

Shalini Jatia, a representative of ImPaCCT, told HT that not only had the number of children surviving cancer increased, but there was also a significant reduction in the number of children abandoning treatment midway. “In 2007-08, one out of four children diagnosed with cancer at TMH did not return for treatment,” she said. “However, with the establishment of ImPaCCT and its multifaceted support system, the abandoning of treatment dropped from 25 percent in 2008 to a mere 2 percent in 2021.”

Jatia said that survivorship data from 2010 to 2018 was selected, as the patients had completed their treatment and survived. “It helped in giving perspective on how the ImPaCCT model is working,” she said.

The ImPaCCT foundation provides financial assistance right from the registration stage, offering emergency funds for diagnostic tests. Additionally, it addresses the financial burden of treatment, which requires ₹300,000 to ₹400,000 per child. Eighty percent of children at Tata Hospital have benefited from this support.

The success of ImPaCCT extends beyond financial aid, and incorporates data collection to understand the outcomes of paediatric cancer treatment. Dr Girish Chinnaswamy from TMH’s paediatric department emphasised that the model’s holistic support, including accommodation, nutrition, counselling, education and survivorship support, had the potential to be adapted and implemented in other centres treating children with cancer across India and outside.

Dr Banavali added that the department had now moved beyond just concentrating on treating new patients. “Initially, it was to make sure there was no loss of follow-up or abandonment of treatment,” he said. “Now, with the improved survival rate, we are concentrating on relapses, patients who have failed the first line of treatment. We are also providing them with newer treatments like immunotherapy, for instance the indigenously developed CAR-T technology by the IIT Bombay, free of cost.”