The Road to Redemption: Advances in Cancer Treatment for Children

Press Release, Feb 15, 2024, 4:50 PM IST

In the pursuit of combating paediatric cancer, the past decade has witnessed remarkable strides in the cancer care journey for children. For decades, it was a road paved with needles, scans, and the grueling side effects of treatment. However, advancements in medical science in terms of scientific breakthroughs, technological innovations, and a collaborative spirit among researchers and healthcare professionals have transformed the landscape of cancer treatment for children, offering hope and improved prospects for these young lives battling cancer.

Precision Medicine: Gone are the days of “one-size-fits-all” cancer treatments. Precision medicine is revolutionizing the way we target cancer in children, by analyzing their unique genetic makeup and tailoring therapies accordingly. By pinpointing the specific genetic mutations driving the cancer, oncologists can develop targeted therapies such as Bispecific Antibodies that directly aim at destroying the affected cancer cells by simultaneously targeting both cancer cells and the immune system’s T cells, minimizing damage to healthy cells. This approach allows for more effective treatment in treating various blood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma with fewer side effects that can be particularly detrimental to developing organs in children.

Immunotherapy: In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a beacon of hope in the fight against paediatric cancer. Our immune system, our body’s natural defense against invaders, is being utilized in the fight against cancer. These therapies are developed to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, a type of immunotherapeutic approach, involves genetically modifying a patient’s own T cells to find and destroy cancer cells. This personalized and targeted approach offers a lifeline to those for whom traditional treatments are less effective.

Advancements in radiation therapy has resulted in as a reduction of side effects in childhood cancer treatments. Minimally invasive techniques including laparoscopic surgeries and robotic-assisted procedures even in kids has made the recovery more satisfactory in the surgical aspect of cancer care.

The emphasis on early detection and screening has also gained prominence in cancer care for children. Improved imaging technologies and the development of non-invasive diagnostic methods, such as liquid biopsies, help in the identification of cancers at their nascent stages.

Cancer in children has a finite treatment with a higher likelihood of cure in most of the cases. In comparison to adults, kids with cancer remarkably do well when treated at appropriate time. The world of paediatric oncology has revolutionized in the last decade inculcating non-invasive diagnostic techniques, more targeted & individualized precision treatment, and holistic long-term follow-up, ensuring normal growth development of a child and producing a healthy individual to the society.