September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a perfect time to raise awareness and highlight progress in treatment and support. While childhood cancer is rare, the most common types include leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, and lymphomas. Understanding what to watch for and the latest treatments can make a real difference.
Vidya Puthenpura, MD, pediatric oncologist, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, shares insights on spotting signs, how care differs for children and their families, the latest research innovations and how communities can help.
Noticing the signs
“The signs can be surprisingly subtle,” says Dr. Puthenpura. “Persistent fatigue, unexplained fevers, bruising in unusual places, bone pain or morning headaches can all be warning signs. Sometimes it’s just a lump that doesn’t go away, or a child who ‘isn’t themselves.’ My advice is to always trust your instincts. If something feels off, bring it up with your pediatrician.”
Caring for children
“Children are not just small adults,” explains Dr. Puthenpura. “Their bodies are still growing, so we think carefully about not only curing the cancer but also protecting their future. That includes fertility, heart and brain health, as well as overall development. Treatments can be aggressive, but we also provide extensive supportive care to help kids tolerate them and keep life as normal as possible.”
Caring for the whole family
“We care for the whole family because the diagnosis impacts everyone,” Dr. Puthenpura notes. “From the start, the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital team includes social workers, psychologists, child life specialists and support groups.”
Parents also receive practical help. “We assist with insurance, school accommodations and the emotional rollercoaster of treatment. Our goal is to strengthen the family unit, because when caregivers and siblings are supported, the child feels more secure and resilient.”
New hope through innovation
This is a hopeful time in pediatric oncology. “Where once chemotherapy and radiation were our only tools, we now have targeted therapies that focus on the genetic changes driving a child’s cancer,” cites Dr. Puthenpura.
Targeted therapies are designed to attack specific parts of the cancer cell that help it grow, leaving healthy cells less affected. Immunotherapies, on the other hand, help a child’s own immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells.
One immunotherapy Dr. Puthenpura highlights is CAR-T therapy, which takes a child’s T-cells (a type of white blood cell), engineers them to target cancer and then puts them back into the body to fight the disease.
“We’re also seeing new ways of delivering care that focus on the whole experience of the child and family, such as digital health platforms that allow families to track symptoms and communicate with their care team from home,” Dr. Puthenpura adds.
“These innovations are not only extending lives but also improving quality of life during and after treatment,” Dr. Puthenpura says. “For families, it means a diagnosis carries more hope than ever, with the possibility of both cure and a healthy future.”
Despite these advances, there is still work to be done. According to the Cancer Research Institute, pediatric cancer research receives far less funding than adult cancers, accounting for only four percent of all government cancer research, even though cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children.
How the community can help
“Families tell us again and again that small gestures mean the most,” says Dr. Puthenpura. “A meal after a long hospital day, a ride to an appointment or offering to watch siblings can lift a tremendous weight.”
On a larger scale, she adds, donations to research or family assistance programs make a real difference. “Even simple acts like wearing gold (the national color for pediatric cancer) in September to raise awareness, or checking in on a family, reminds them they are not alone. That steady presence can be as healing as the medicine itself.”
Care close to home
Families can access expert pediatric cancer care at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital Pediatric Specialty Centers across Connecticut. Dr. Puthenpura sees patients at the centers in Greenwich and Trumbull, bringing advanced treatment and support closer to home.
