Improving Treatment and Long-Term Outcomes with Comprehensive Care
The Brain and Spinal Tumor Program at Cincinnati Children’s provides leading-edge, comprehensive care for children and young adults. Through innovative research and clinical care, we are improving treatment and long-term outcomes for patients with brain and spinal tumors.
The program serves approximately 800 patients from a broad geographic area. Some are newly diagnosed, and others come seeking novel therapies for recurrent tumors. Our physicians, researchers and other members of the medical team offer the full spectrum of the most technologically advanced care available. For example, the BrainSUITE at Cincinnati Children’s creates precise three-dimensional maps of the brain and safely guides our neurosurgeons in the removal of complex tumors. Cincinnati Children’s was the first pediatric hospital in the world to offer this technology.
Other examples of our advanced technology can be found in the pediatric radiotherapy program, a joint effort with the Department of Radiation Therapy at University Hospital’s Barrett Cancer Center. It offers advanced, targeted treatments including shaped beam stereotactic radiation therapy, helical image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
Comprehensive Care
Physicians on our core team within the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute are dedicated to treating tumors aggressively while maintaining each child’s quality of life. Our core team includes specialists from:
- Endocrinology (growth and hormones)
- Neurology
- Neuropsychology (brain and behavior)
- Neurosurgery (brain and spinal surgery)
- Oncology
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Radiation oncology
Depending on the patient’s needs, your child’s team may also include experts in:
- Genetics
- Neuro-ophthalmology (visual problems related to the nervous system)
- Pathology (laboratory services)
The medical director of the Brain and Spinal Tumor Program is Maryam Fouladi, MD, MSc, FRCP, a national leader in brain and spinal tumor research and treatment. Fouladi has developed and led several national clinical research studies of leading-edge therapies for these diseases.
Integrated Team Approach
At many medical centers, patients and families must travel between different floors or even different buildings to see specialists. Our multidisciplinary clinic brings these specialists together, making visits more convenient and enabling the highest level of communication and coordination of care.
Nursing Excellence
Nurses play an integral role on the multidisciplinary team, providing patient care and extensive education. In fact, Cincinnati Children’s is known for nursing excellence. In 2009, the medical center received Magnet status from the Commission on the Magnet Recognition Program. This is the gold standard for recognizing nursing excellence and collaboration among all care providers and patients. Of approximately 5,700 hospitals in the United States, only 6 percent have achieved this status from the Magnet Recognition Program.
