Researchers and clinicians tracking childhood cancer outcomes in India are on the cusp of a data breakthrough, according to Dr Sameer Bakhshi, Professor and Head of the Department of Medical Oncology at AIIMS, New Delhi. Speaking at the 10th Pediatric Haematology Oncology Support Services Conference (PHOSSCON 2026) in Mohali on 25 October 2026, Bakhshi said the quality and quantity of childhood cancer survival data in India is likely to improve significantly over the next five years, building on the momentum of the past decade.

Three Decades of Data, Compressed Into Ten Years

Bakhshi cited a landmark study led by his AIIMS team that consolidated three decades of Indian childhood cancer survival evidence, drawing on 182 studies involving 22,886 children. 'Of the information we have today, three-fourths has come in the last 10 years. On a graph, if the information for the last three decades is treated as almost a flat line, it could shoot up sharply in the next five years,' he said. The findings underscore how recent years have accelerated evidence generation in a field that had long suffered from sparse, fragmented data.

The 60% Survival Target by 2030

Poonam Bagai, organising chair of all 10 PHOSSCON editions and co-author of the AIIMS-led study, emphasised the significance of the research in the context of the UNGA 80 resolution, which sets a target of 60% or more survival for children with cancer by 2030. Bagai, who serves as a Member of the ICMR Central Ethics Committee on Human Research, founder of CanKids, and Childhood Cancer International's WHO South East Asia Region Representative, said the study offers insights that could help policymakers identify gaps and strengthen accountability in India's fight against childhood cancer. 'Today, we are asking a bigger question — not just how to help children through treatment, but how to help more children survive,' she said, reflecting on the decade-long journey since PHOSSCON's inception in 2015.

Punjab as a Model: An Integrated Care Framework

The conference, held over two days at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, SAS Nagar, also highlighted Punjab as an instructive case study. Building on CanKids' partnership with the Punjab government since 2017, an Integrated Childhood Cancer Care Framework is being developed with HBCH Mullanpur, AIIMS Bathinda, and CMC Ludhiana as key hubs. The effort aligns with the state government's broader healthcare objectives and could serve as a replicable model for other states.

Key Themes at PHOSSCON 2026

Sessions at the two-day conference covered a range of systemic challenges, including access to treatment and financial protection for families, stronger collaboration between civil society and the medical community, and long-term survivorship care. Discussions also addressed shared learning and future roadmaps for paediatric haematology-oncology support services across India. The conference offered a platform to translate research evidence into actionable policy recommendations, with a particular focus on the infrastructure and data systems needed to reach the 2030 survival target.

With national-level data now gathering pace and state-level frameworks beginning to take shape, experts say the next five years will be pivotal in determining whether India can close the gap between current outcomes and the global 60% survival benchmark.