By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : May 08, 2026 1:10 pm
The leading cancer hospital urges carrier screening to prevent thalassemia burden
Marking World Thalassemia Day 2026, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre organised an awareness and screening initiative aimed at addressing the growing burden of thalassemia in the National Capital Region.
Held under the theme “From Transfusion to Transplant,” the programme focused on promoting a shift in thalassemia care from lifelong blood transfusion dependency to curative treatment through bone marrow transplantation, while also emphasising the importance of early diagnosis and preventive screening.
The initiative comes amid rising concerns over the increasing number of thalassemia cases in Delhi, which experts described as one of the major global hubs for the disease.
Specialists from the hospital’s Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant highlighted that despite being a preventable genetic disorder, thalassemia continues to impose significant emotional, medical, and financial stress on affected families due to delayed diagnosis and low awareness levels.
Dr. Gauri Kapoor, Director – Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & BMT, RGCIRC, highlighted the scale of the challenge and the need for a proactive approach. “Delhi is increasingly being recognised as one of the global hubs of thalassemia due to the high number of cases we see. This makes awareness and prevention not just important, but urgent. The disease is entirely preventable with the right screening measures, yet many families remain unaware until it is too late,” she said.
A key focus area of the event was strengthening awareness around carrier detection through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) testing, a simple yet effective diagnostic tool. According to experts, when both the partners are carriers of thalassemia minor, there is a 25% chance that their child will have thalassemia major.