Kidney Tumor Program

Pursuing New Therapies Through Research

Cincinnati Children’s is a major center for pediatric cancer research. Our researchers within the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute probe cancer cells to understand how the disease develops and spreads and are finding targets for new anticancer drugs.

Physicians and researchers in the Kidney Tumor Program conduct research to develop and implement innovative treatments for children with high-risk disease. They lead and participate in numerous clinical research studies with the goal of improving the prognosis and quality of life for patients with kidney tumors.

Some of these studies are sponsored by Cincinnati Children’s, and some are offered at our site through national cooperative research organizations. These include the Children’s Oncology Group, which operates the nation’s largest portfolio of clinical trials for pediatric cancer, and the National Cancer Institute’s new Pediatric Phase I Consortium. Our membership in these exclusive consortia gives patients access to the latest clinical trials.

Kidney tumor specialists at Cincinnati Children’s are currently conducting research in the following areas:

Novel drug therapies
New pathways to potential drug targets for Wilms’ tumors and renal cell carcinomas
Factors that affect tumor growth
Molecular signaling in renal tumors
Advanced genetic profiling technologies to better understand risk factors for the development of and outcome from Wilms’ tumors

National Referral Center

Cincinnati Children’s is a major referral center for clinical care and research for the Children’s Oncology Group, the National Cancer Institute’s new Pediatric Phase I Consortium and other national cancer research consortia. Many of our physicians serve in leadership positions for these organizations. We are the only site in Ohio, and one of just a few nationwide, to offer pediatric Phase I clinical trials of the newest cancer therapies. This level of engagement in research ensures that patients have access to the most innovative and effective cancer treatments available.

Cincinnati Children’s investigators have been leaders in characterizing, treating and developing novel therapies for pediatric renal cell carcinoma and other high-risk pediatric renal cancers.

More About Our Research

Learn more about our world-class research on cancer in the Division of Oncology.

Contact Us

For more information about research at Cincinnati Children's in kidney tumors, contact John Perentesis MD, director of oncology, at john.perentesis@cchmc.org or call 513-636-8241.

Quality Verification in Wilm’s Tumor

Wilm’s tumor is one of the most common pediatric abdominal cancers. With the advent of multi-modal therapy there is an excellent survival rate. Therapy generally involves a combination of surgery chemotherapy and sometimes radiation. The children’s oncology group (COG) has developed clear criteria for an adequate resection of a Wilm’s tumor.

It is known that about 15 percent of patients in the COG had a surgical protocol violation, the majority of these violations were due to the lack of lymph node sampling. This is a significant risk because if the lymph nodes are not sampled and are positive, the child would be undertreated for the stage of their disease and risk tumor recurrence.

Cincinnati Children’s cancer committee has been auditing the procedures performed at Cincinnati Children’s to ensure quality surgical procedures and adherence to the protocol. Operative and pathologic data were examined for all patients undergoing Wilm’s tumor resection over the past 10 years. It was noted that in all cases proper surgical protocols were followed and lymph nodes were sampled. It is imperative to do intermittent assessment of surgical quality to ensure that patients are receiving the best care possible.

Kidney Tumor Program

Pursuing New Therapies Through Research

National Referral Center

More About Our Research

Contact Us

Quality Verification in Wilm’s Tumor

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