A nine-month-old girl diagnosed with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)—a highly aggressive and life-threatening blood cancer—underwent a successful T-Cell Replete Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) at New Era Mother and Child Hospital. Under this procedure, healthy stem cells are infused into a body to restore patient’s blood-forming and immune systems. The complex bone marrow transplant was performed by Dr Atish Bakane, Paediatric Hematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician, marking Vidarbha’s first-ever haploidentical HSCT in an infant. HSCT stands for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, a procedure that infuses healthy stem cells to restore a patient’s blood-forming and immune systems.

 

It is used to treat various diseases, including blood cancers, genetic disorders like thalassemia, and severe autoimmune diseases, explained noted senior Paediatrician Dr Vishram Buche. The patient weighed only 7 kg and was less than a year old, which made the procedure exceptionally challenging. In this case, the infant’s sister donated the stem cells(half matched) for the transplant.

 

Performing a T-cell replete haploidentical HSCT demands advanced infrastructure, precision-based protocols, and expert multidisciplinary coordination. The successful outcome demonstrates the capabilities of modern transplant medicine and offers a potential curative therapy for high-risk paediatric leukemia. Supporting Dr Bakane in this milestone were Dr Priyanka Pawar, Pediatrician, and Dr Anand Bhutada, Pediatric Intensive Care Specialist, whose expert care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) played a vital role during the child’s critical recovery phase. Directors Dr Anand Sancheti, Dr Nilesh Agrawal and Dr Nidheesh Mishra issued a joint message congratulating the BMT team for raising the bar of pediatric healthcare in Nagpur and beyond.

 

Dr Shweta Bhutada reaffirmed NewEra group’s leadership’s commitment in bringing world-class medical technology, training and research to ensure more children receive life-saving care close to home. Dr Vishram Buche, Dr Ritu Dargan and Dr Sanjay Deshmukh added that this is youngest infant to receive BMT in Vidarbha. Treating blood cancer in infants under one year of age through bone marrow transplantation is an intricate and high-risk procedure. However, with the latest technology and a highly skilled team, this success symbolises a new hope for children battling complex hematologic malignancies in Central India, said Dr Atish Bakane, Paediatric Hematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician.