Varanasi: The Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, located in Lahartara, has completed successfully 56 bone marrow transplants (BMT) in a span of 18 months.The procedure has proven to be a successful treatment modality for patients with serious blood and bone marrow related conditions like multiple myeloma, lymphoma leukaemia and certain paediatric cancers such as neuroblastoma. This facility, equipped with advanced technology and a proficient team, offers one of the most cost-effective BMT treatments in the region. Most of the patients have demonstrated excellent recovery post-transplant, with no fatalities reported in the critical 100-day period following the procedure, said Dr Anant Gokarn and Dr Sumeet Mirgh, haemato-oncologists in the BMT unit. Concerning the financial aspects of BMT, the team noted that the treatment, while generally expensive, is offered at approximately one-third of the cost compared to other hospitals of the region. Collaborations with NGOs and government relief funds have been instrumental in aiding economically disadvantaged patients in managing the expenses.The BMT programme started at HBCH in 2019. It was paused temporarily in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic but resumed from December 2021. Out of the completed transplants, 52 were autologous and four were allogeneic. Majority of recipients were aged between 18 and 50 years. This is a collaborative effort of a multi-disciplinary team including Dr Anant Gokarn, Dr Lingaraj Nayak, Dr Sumeet Mirgh, Dr Malini Garg, Dr Sujeet Kumar, and Dr Anil Singh of BMT team, Dr Neha Singh and Dr Avinash Gupta of Hematopathology, Dr Rahul Sarode, Dr Sujit Bharti and Dr Ankita Chaurasia of Microbiology, Dr Akshay Batra of Transfusion medicine, Dr Pratibha Gavel and Dr Priyanka Asia of Biochemistry, Anil Yadav of Cytogenetics, Dr Vikramjit Kanwar and Dr Ragwesh Ranjan of Pediatric Oncology, Dr Soumitra Saha of Paediatric Surgery and Dr Jyotirmay Kirtaniya of Anaesthesia.They achieved this feat under the guidance of deputy director, ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, Dr Navin Khattry, deputy director, CCE, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, deputy director, HBCH Varanasi Dr BK Mishra and director, MPMMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi Dr Satyajit Pradhan.Appreciating the achievement, director of the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, Dr RA Badwe said, There are not many hospitals that offer this treatment for cancer and for exclusively cancer Tata Memorial Centre is the only Institute that offers this treatment. In Varanasi, the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, a sister institution of Tata Memorial Centre, offering bone marrow transplants at hugely subsidized rates or even free. Director of Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital Dr Satyajit Pradhan said that the institution was steadfast in its commitment to offering superior healthcare facilities and treatments to all patients, including specialized care for paediatric cancer and blood cancer cases.

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