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Department of PediatricsAll India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi |
The Division of Pediatric Oncology at the Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS, New Delhi has come a long way and has grown by leaps and bounds to establish itself as one of the leading pediatric oncology centers of India. The division was established under the able leadership of Prof LS Arya almost four decades ago. It is the third unit in the country offering a super specialty program (D.M) in the field of Pediatric Oncology.
The unit registers about 350 new cases of childhood cancers annually and prides itself in providing expert and world-class care for common as well as rare pediatric cancers. The spectrum of cancers treated at the unit includes leukemias, solid tumors, bone tumors, histiocytosis, retinoblastomas, etc. The late effects clinic of the unit was established in 2006 and is one of the very first in the country. The bone marrow transplant facility started in 2017 by the division expands the repertoire of malignant and non-malignant diseases that the division can cater to.
The faculty is actively involved in basic and clinical research on pediatric oncology via research grants (AIIMS, DBT, ICMR, DST, National Cancer Grid, CSIR & UGC) and steering /participating in various multicenter national studies.
The division amalgamates the three pillars on which AIIMS has been established- namely dedicated patient care, teaching, and research. The services and multimodal care to cancer children are provided via specialty clinics [Pediatric Oncology Clinic (POC), Pediatric Cancer Survivor Clinic (PCSC)], daycare facility, specialty intra and interdepartmental consultations, emergency services, transplant services, and extensive support from various NGOs and philanthropic organizations.
In agreement with the mandate of AIIMS to provide leaders in super-specialty care, the Pediatric Oncology DM Program is designed to provide a diversified, organized educational environment that will allow the candidate to develop both the clinical and research skills necessary to become an academic Pediatric Oncologist. The aim is to prepare the future Pediatric Oncologists who will represent the clinical workforce, educators, and investigators during the first quarter of the 21st century.
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Dr Rachna Seth Professor and Chief, Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics Office address: Room no 807, 8th Floor, Mother and Child Block, AIIMS, New Delhi- 110029 E-mail: drrachnaseth1967@gmail.com, drrachnaseth@yahoo.co.in Telephone: 011-29576820 Areas of interest: Understanding the mechanisms of poor response/relapse in ALL, cancer survivorship & late effects, biomarkers in infections, histiocytosis and retinoblastoma |
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Dr Jagdish Prasad Meena, MD, MAMS Additional Professor, Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics Office address: Room no 832, 8th Floor, Mother and Child Block, AIIMS, New Delhi- 110029 E-mail: drjpmeena@gmail.com Telephone: 011-29576845 Areas of interest: Pediatric Oncology (solid tumors, Acute myeloid leukemia, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma) |
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Dr Aditya Kumar Gupta, MD, FNB, MAMS Additional Professor, Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics Office address: Room no 835, 8th Floor, Mother and Child Block, AIIMS, New Delhi- 110029 E-mail: adivick@gmail.com Telephone: 011-29576853 Areas of interest: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant, relapsed pediatric malignancies, Cancer immunotherapy, cellular therapy |
The division is running a DM course in Pediatric Oncology, and the first batch successfully completed the course in Dec 2021.
The services and multimodal care to cancer children are provided via specialty clinics (Pediatric Oncology Clinic, Pediatric Cancer Survivor Clinic), daycare facilities, specialty intra and interdepartmental consultations, emergency services, and extensive support from various NGOs and philanthropic organizations.
Every Monday, new and old patients with Childhood cancers are seen in the Pediatric Oncology clinic. The average number of children seen in the Oncology clinic is around 70-100/ clinic. About 350-400 new patients with various childhood cancers are enrolled annually. The majority of services are provided via outpatient/clinic consultation and state-of-the-art daycare facilities. Multimodal therapy is provided with specialty inputs from various departments (Pediatric surgery, Radiation oncology, Lab Oncology, Pathology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Ophthalmology). A whole team comprising faculty, residents, nurses, social worker, dieticians, pediatric surgeons, radiation oncologists, transplant immunologists, and many more are involved as a team to provide holistic care to our patients.
This is an after-cancer treatment care clinic. We have enrolled more than 1500 children in the PCSC. Ours is the second clinic in India to start the after-treatment completion clinic. These children are assessed for their growth, any late effects of chemotherapy, complications of transfusions, the appearance of second malignancies, or relapse. Their growth is recorded on age and sex-specific growth charts. They are subject to various investigations and examinations like echocardiography, thyroid function, growth hormone, bone densitometry, viral markers, hormonal/reproductive function assessment at puberty, IQ, and behavioral assessment where required. An ATCC (After Treatment Completion Card) is given to all patients completing treatment at our unit, which carries all details of treatment given to the patient, A multicenter registry of childhood cancer survivors has been initiated by the InPOG, Indian Pediatric Oncology group (research group of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology chapter). This registry is the first of its kind in India is steered by AIIMS, Pediatrics. Emphasis has expanded to vaccination to all our survivors. This is done to take care of the weaned off immunity following chemotherapy/radiation/transplant Experience of survivor patients .
This is one of the few Oncology centers that, besides providing acute oncology services, also engages transplant services. The hematopoietic stem cell transplant services of the division started in 2017, and we provide care to complicated oncology conditions and non-malignant disorders that are amenable to transplant. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant services (autologous & allogeneic) have strengthened at AIIMS, Pediatrics Oncology division with a dedicated team of oncologists, trained transplant specialists, residents, transplant immunologists, blood bank staff, and laboratory oncologists.
We are doing a few testing for patients with malignancy. This laboratory is equipped with the latest equipment. A lot of research work is also being done in the lab.
• Karyotyping and molecular studies for acute leukemiaWe conduct the following modules for residents and nurses:
1. Infection control moduleEvery six months, we organize a parent education forum to educate parents about ongoing treatment and late follow-up cancer treatment. Such meetings are organized in AIIMS where the doctors, social workers, nurses, dieticians, parents of children undergoing treatment, and representatives from the NGO participate.
We organize a meeting on the first Friday of each month for newly diagnosed children with malignancy.
There is the active involvement of NGO’s and governmental organizations [Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), Prime Minister’s and Chief Minister’s fund, Aayushman Bharat Yojna (PMJAY) funding in the treatment and support of cancer patients.
We provide holistic care to cancer children via the involvement of a dietician, counselor, psychologists, educators, and social support.
We have the teleconsultation and telemedicine facility and a 24 hours emergency helplines that support the patients. Any patient can communicate to an Oncology health care worker via email helpline (c3sambhav@gmail.com) and two smartphones, one with an Oncology nurse and the other with an Oncology DM resident doctor.
The broad research areas of the division are depicted below:
• Hematological malignancies: understanding biology of disease and relapse•The Indian Childhood Collaborative Leukemia (ICiCLe) study: A multicentric project in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• Childhood Cancer Survivorship Study (C2S) Study: A multicentric study involving patients who have completed their treatment to investigate the long-term effects of various treatment modalities.
• Virtual Tumor Boards