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The UT Southwestern Medical Center Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center combines one of the nation’s premier clinical facilities for the treatment of childhood cancers with the internationally recognized strength of our research programs directed at discovering the causes and cures of these cancers. All pediatric cancer patients are treated with the special attention that children need, as they try to understand and cope with their illness. UT Southwestern’s childhood cancer program also includes neuro-psychologists, child life specialists, education specialists, social workers, and physical and occupational therapists.
Our program, a combined effort with Children’s Medical Center Dallas, is one of the 10 largest in the U.S. UT Southwestern is one of only 20 facilities in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) approved by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to offer children promising new treatments with experimental Phase I/II new-agent trials. The program at Children's, designated as the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD), has both inpatient and outpatient facilities, which include a 24-bed inpatient unit with four specialized rooms for high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.
Children’s Medical Center also offers three multi-disciplinary programs specifically designed to meet the needs of children with malignant bone tumors (Comprehensive Orthopedic Oncology Clinic [COONC]), brain tumors and neurofibromatosis (Comprehensive Neuro-Oncology Clinic) and those who are long-term survivors of childhood malignancies (After the Cancer Experience or ACE program). The Comprehensive Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program has evaluated 1,485 children with primary brain tumors since 1985 and an additional 335 children with neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2. The childhood cancer survivors program, known as the After the Cancer Experience (ACE) program, currently follows 1,500 patients from ages 3 to 57.
In addition, UT Southwestern offers genetic cancer risk assessment services through its Clinical Cancer Genetics program. By determining if other family members are at an increased risk for developing cancer, it can help patients understand how specific preventive measures can be taken to reduce the risk of cancer and plan for early detection.
By combining attentive, compassionate care with some of the nation’s most advanced clinical and scientific resources, UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center can provide children and their families with a level of comprehensive care often unavailable at other health-care facilities.
