India's First Childhood Cancer Registry

India has launched its first national registry for childhood cancer survivors, known as the Indian Childhood Cancer Survivorship (C2S) study. Initiated in 2016, this study is among the first of its kind in a resource-limited setting globally. It analyzed data from 5,419 children diagnosed with cancer before age 18, showing a 94.5% five-year overall survival rate and nearly 90% event-free survival. Acute leukemia was the most common diagnosis, with chemotherapy being the primary treatment. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, involved researchers from institutions like the India===All India Institutes of Medical Sciences and Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre. It aims to address the evidence gap on childhood cancer survivorship in low and middle-income countries and inform policy-relevant research.