BENGALURU: A nine-month-old baby diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer has made a full recovery following a complex bone marrow transplant at Manipal Hospital.
The infant, Maanya (name changed), was just 3.5 months old when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-progressing cancer that affects blood and bone marrow.
The treatment, led by Dr Vinay Munikoty Venkatesh, Consultant – Paediatric Haematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant, began with two cycles of intensive chemotherapy.
However, due to the high-risk nature of the disease, a bone marrow transplant was considered essential for long-term recovery.
At just six months old and weighing only 6 kg, Maanya became one of the youngest patients to undergo a Haplo-identical (half-matched) bone marrow transplant. Her father was the donor. “Performing a bone marrow transplant on an infant of this age is complex. The immune system was immature, and the risk of toxicity was high,” Dr Vinay said.