Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of the nation's leading centers for sophisticated multidisciplinary care of children with newly diagnosed and relapsed neuroblastoma. The Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center at Cincinnati Children's offers a full spectrum of technologically advanced medical, surgical and diagnostic services for children and young adults with neuroblastoma and related diseases.
For over four decades, Cincinnati Children's has been at the forefront of the development of new therapies for advanced and relapsed neuroblastoma. Over 130 marrow / stem cell transplants for advanced neuroblastoma have been conducted at Cincinnati Children's since 1983. The Cincinnati Children's Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center continues research efforts to develop and implement innovative treatments for children with high risk neuroblastoma.
The Neuroblastoma Center builds upon nationally prominent programs at Cincinnati Children's in pediatric anti-cancer drug development, expertise in blood and marrow transplantation, advanced surgery and radiology capabilities. The Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center is a major primary oncology care and referral center of the national Children's Oncology Group.
In addition, the Cincinnati Children's Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center is a participating institution of the National Cancer Institute's two new pediatric anti-cancer drug research and development initiatives for children with high risk neuroblastoma: the Pediatric Phase I Consortium and the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Consortium.
Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Team Approach
At Cincinnati Children's, children with neuroblastoma are cared for by a multidisciplinary team led by oncologists and stem cell transplant specialists with focused clinical expertise and laboratory research perspective in neuroblastoma and new anti-cancer therapies. Collectively, experts from numerous areas of specialty offer children and their families optimal care. The neuroblastoma physician team features specialists with experience in the care of children with neuroblastoma including:
- Oncologic surgeons
- Radiation therapists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
- Endocrinologists
- Physical medicine specialists
- Pediatric critical care
Teamwork to provide comprehensive patient care is also coordinated through the guidance of neuroblastoma specialty nurse coordinators, and related staff sophisticated in social and family support, nutrition, play therapy, school re-entry, and coordination with referring pediatricians and family doctors.
Neuroblastoma Research
The Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center offers state-of-the art care for children with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma, and is a major referral center for clinical research of the national Children's Oncology Group.
The Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center also is a select referral center for the National Cancer Institute's two new pediatric anti-cancer drug development research initiatives for children with high risk neuroblastoma: the Pediatric Phase I Consortium and the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Consortium.
In addition, active research is being conducted in the Division of Experimental Hematology at Cincinnati Children's to develop new vaccine-based therapies for neuroblastoma, targeted anti-cancer viruses for neuroblastoma, and other gene therapy approaches.
The Neuroblastoma Advanced Therapies Center includes research programs in:
- Targeted Anti-Cancer Radiobiologics (131I-MIBG)
- Vaccine and Immune Therapies (targeted antibodies, immune stimulants)
- Targeted Anti-Cancer Viruses
- New Small Anti-Cancer Molecules
- New High Dose Anti-Cancer Drug/Stem Cell Transplant Regimens
- Tailored Anti-Cancer Drug Dosing/Pharmacogenetics Research Program
Neuroblastoma Translational Research Faculty
John Perentesis, MD, Director of the Oncology Program at Cincinnati Children's, is recognized nationally for his research efforts in new pediatric anti-cancer drug development. Dr. Perentesis serves on the national steering committees for the National Cancer Institute Pediatric Phase I Consortium and the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Consortium. He is the director of the developmental therapeutics program for children and young adults with cancer at Cincinnati Children's. His laboratory is involved in the cancer biology and development of new anti-cancer drugs for children.
Richard Harris, MD, founder of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Cincinnati Children's, is nationally recognized for performing blood and marrow transplants in patients with neuroblastoma.
Michael Gelfand, MD, Director of the Nuclear Medicine Division at Cincinnati Children's, is recognized for his specialty in the field of pediatric nuclear medicine-based therapies. He is the President of the American Society for Nuclear Medicine; the national association of medical specialists that use radioactive medications for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in children and adults.
Timothy Cripe, MD, PhD, a member of the Oncology Program at Cincinnati Children's is developing new targeted anti-cancer viruses to treat neuroblastoma and other childhood tumors. Dr. Cripe is the Director of the Translational Research Trials Office.
Brian Weiss, MD, a member of the Oncology Program at Cincinnati Children's has extensive experience in targeted anti-cancer radiotherapy for neuroblastoma. He conducts research to understand how anti-cancer drugs cause side effects and to discover medications to prevent side effects.
Lars Wagner, MD, a member of the Oncology Program at Cincinnati Children's is developing new combinations of chemotherapy regimens for neuroblastoma and other childhood tumors.
Sonata Jodele, MD, a member of the Blood and Marrow Transplant program at Cincinnati Children's is developing new therapies.
