CHANDIGARH, 24.10.26- — The Advanced Pediatrics Centre (APC) at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is hosting PHOCON 2026, the 29th National Conference of the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (PHO) Chapter of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP). The prestigious national meet was formally inaugurated by **Prof. Sanjay Jain, Dean (Academics), PGIMER**, as the institutional speaker in this draft. The conference provides a platform for specialists to exchange knowledge, discuss emerging therapies and strengthen collaborative approaches to childhood cancer and blood disorders.


**Prof. Amita Trehan, Organising Chairperson, PHOCON 2026**, emphasised the importance of collaboration among clinicians, researchers, nurses and allied healthcare professionals in improving outcomes for children with cancer. She highlighted the need to combine advances in medical science with timely diagnosis, comprehensive supportive care and sustained patient follow-up.


**Dr. S. P. Yadav, Chairperson, PHO Chapter of IAP**, presented an overview of the conference and the evolution of pediatric hematology and oncology in India. Established on October 11, 1987, in Chennai, the PHO Chapter has contributed to strengthening specialised care, professional education and research in childhood cancers and blood disorders.


**Dr. Shweta Bansal, Secretary, PHO Chapter of IAP**, presented the chapter’s annual report, highlighting its activities and continuing efforts to promote academic exchange and improve standards of pediatric hematology and oncology care.

Centering on the theme "Collaborating for Cure," the main conference across the weekend brings together nearly 400 doctors and delegates and over 140 national and international experts, including 11 distinguished faculty members from the United States and Canada.

Pioneering Care: From 35% to 80% Survival

During the meeting, specialists reflected on the growth of the discipline since the founding of the IAP PHO Chapter on October 11, 1987, in Chennai. While developed economies routinely achieve 70–80% overall cure rates, low- and middle-income countries continue to face hurdles such as delayed presentation, treatment abandonment, undernutrition, and supportive care deficits.

PGIMER’s own PHO unit exemplifies how dedicated, multidisciplinary care bridges this survival divide. For children battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)—the most common childhood cancer—long-term survival at PGIMER has risen dramatically from 35% in 1997 to nearly 80% today. Experts emphasized that when modern diagnostic and therapeutic protocols are initiated expeditiously in an academic setting, over 80% of childhood cancers can be treated successfully.

Key Scientific Highlights & Clinical Deliberations

  • "Meet the Experts" Case Roundtables: Interactive sessions where clinicians presented complex clinical cases to experts in various. The focus being on adapting cutting-edge international standards into practical, cost-effective protocols tailored for Indian children.
  • Next-Generation Therapeutics: Extensive symposia dedicated to revolutionary cellular therapies—including CAR-T cell therapy, targeted immunotherapies, precision surgery, radiotherapy innovations, and newly developed anti-cancer drugs.
  • Stem Cell Transplantation: Detailed deliberations on expanding Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) access in India, comparing matched sibling versus haploidentical (half-matched) donor approaches, and reducing transplant-related toxicities.
  • Tackling Anemia and Red Cell Disorders: Moving beyond malignancies, sessions address everyday public health gaps—such as unrecognized nutritional anemias in children—alongside diagnostic workups for rare, complex, and refractory bone marrow failure syndromes.
  • Thalassemia & Hemophilia Care:
    • With an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 children born with thalassemia major every year in India, faculty stressed that prevention remains paramount. The conference spotlights mandatory antenatal screening and early carrier testing, alongside curative frontiers like gene therapy and newer oral drugs for the management of thalassemia.
    • For hemophilia, experts reviewed improved national access to clotting factor concentrates, individual prophylaxis strategies, and optimal bleed management.

Specialized Workshops: Holistic & Precision Approaches

Setting PHOCON 2026 apart there were six hands-on workshops addressing every tier of the care continuum. Three workshops deserve special attention:

  • The Oncology Nursing Workshop: Highlighting bedside care as the true backbone of oncology recovery, this session trains nursing professionals in chemotherapeutic safety, port management, infection surveillance, and palliative support.
  • Pediatric Nutrition Workshop: Undernutrition is a significant hurdle for Indian children battling cancer. Highlighting a concentrated, decade-long push to address this gap, this workshop trains teams on implementing dedicated nutritional care so vulnerable children can withstand strong cancer drugs, avoid treatment breaks, and recover safely.
  • "Decode to Diagnose" Genomics Workshop: Held at the APC, clinicians and researchers received hands-on training on Illumina, Ion Torrent, and Nanopore sequencing platforms. The module walked participants through sample QC, bioinformatic variant calling, ACMG/AMP interpretation standards, and long-read methylation analysis to accelerate bedside precision diagnostics.

The conference serves as a blueprint for establishing dedicated pediatric cancer centers nationwide, ensuring that every child receives timely, evidence-based, and multidisciplinary care.