Vizag’s Homi Bhabha Cancer Centre Performs Rare Stem Cell Transplant
The procedure had been carried out on a three-year old girl diagnosed with Embryonal Tumour with Multilayered Rosettes (ETMR)
Visakhapatnam: Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Visakhapatnam, has performed a tandem autologous stem cell transplant for treating a rare paediatric brain tumour.
According to a statement issued to media by the centre on Sunday, they followed a two-stage procedure for the advanced treatment. The patient received consecutive cycles of high-dose chemotherapy, each followed by reinfusion of the patient’s own previously collected stem cells.
Designed to achieve deeper and more durable remission, the entire process had been typically completed within a period of six months, marking a significant milestone in paediatric oncology care in the country.
The procedure had been carried out on a three-year old girl diagnosed with Embryonal Tumour with Multilayered Rosettes (ETMR). It is one of the rarest and most aggressive malignant brain tumours seen in early childhood. Even with aggressive multimodal therapy, long-term survival of such patients has historically been dismal.
However, advances in surgical precision, high-dose chemotherapy strategies, and autologous stem cell rescue have shown potential in improving outcomes.
As part of the procedure, the patient underwent surgery followed by aggressive chemotherapy at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. Since the patient hailed from Andhra Pradesh, authorities shifted her to Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital in Visakhapatnam.
At the Vizag centre, she received additional chemotherapy followed by double autologous transplant between December 2025 and January 2026. When the patient did not present any significant side effects post the second transplant, the centre discharged the patient on Saturday.
To date, there have been no published reports from India documenting a tandem transplant for ETMR. This likely makes the achievement first of its kind in the country. It represents a significant accomplishment for Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Visakhapatnam. It stands as a strong testament of the centre’s capability in delivering aggressive and intensive cancer treatments across Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring regions.
In 2025 alone, the Homi Bhabha centre in Vizag has benefited more than 9,000 newly registered cancer patients, including 30 bone marrow transplants, centre’s director Dr. Umesh Mahantshetty stated.
