VISAKHAPATNAM: In a first for pediatric oncology in India, a Tandem Autologous Stem Cell Transplant, also known as a double autologous transplant, has been successfully performed on a three-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh diagnosed with Embryonal Tumor with Multi-layered Rosettes (ETMR).
The procedure, one of the rarest and most aggressive malignant brain tumors seen in early childhood, was carried out at the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (HBCH&RC), a unit of Tata Memorial Centre under the Department of Atomic Energy.
A tandem autologous transplant is a planned two-stage treatment in which the patient receives two consecutive cycles of high-dose chemotherapy. Each cycle is followed by reinfusion of the patient’s own previously collected stem cells.
The approach is designed to achieve deeper and more durable remission in certain aggressive cancers. The treatment is usually completed within six months.
“The girl initially underwent surgery followed by intensive chemotherapy at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. As she belongs to Andhra Pradesh, she was later referred to HBCH&RC for the tandem transplant procedure. At the Visakhapatnam centre, she received additional chemotherapy followed by the double autologous transplant between December 2025 and January 2026. She was discharged after the second transplant without significant transplant-related complications,” doctors said.
They stated that while ETMR remains a highly aggressive tumor with limited outcomes under standard treatment protocols, aggressive chemotherapy followed by tandem autologous transplant has shown improvement in survival rates, with studies indicating approximately 50-60 per cent five-year survival in selected cases.
The hospital highlighted that such complex treatment requires a coordinated effort involving pediatric oncologists, medical oncologists, hematopathology, transfusion medicine specialists, trained oncology nurses, and dedicated supportive care teams in the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit.
Early identification and management of severe side effects remain critical during the treatment course.
According to hospital sources, there have been no published reports from India documenting a tandem transplant for ETMR so far, making this procedure likely the first of its kind in the country.
Dr Umesh Mahantshetty, Director of HBCH&RC, Visakhapatnam, said that in 2025 alone, more than 9,000 newly registered cancer patients received comprehensive cancer care at the centre, including 30 bone marrow transplants. He noted that patients from the region no longer need to travel to metropolitan cities for advanced cancer treatment.
The hospital currently houses dedicated units for Pediatric Oncology, Medical Oncology, including Bone Marrow Transplant, Hematopathology, and Transfusion Medicine, along with a five-bed BMT unit.
A new 200-bed block exclusively for children and blood cancers is under construction, and is expected to become operational by 2027.