Hematology/Oncology

Before the 1970s, fewer than 50 percent of children survived cancer.

Today, thanks to advances in treatment and research, approximately 80 percent of children survive. Yet childhood cancer is still the #1 disease killer of children in the United States.

Nemours Division of Hematology/Oncology is committed to saving lives and restoring hope by delivering the highest quality of care to children with blood diseases and cancer.

Chaired by Eric Sandler, MD, the division includes six oncologists, advanced practice nurses, social workers, nurses specializing in oncology, hematology and bone marrow transplantation, a psychologist, and a Child Life specialist.

Across the Nemours enterprise, approximately 250 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed each year. The most common cancers in children are leukemia, brain tumors, lymphomas, neuroblastoma, bone tumors and tumors of the kidney and liver. In 2009, the Division treated 120 children newly diagnosed with cancer (many more in follow-up and continuing therapy) as well as over 100 children with hemophilia and 380 children with sickle cell disease. In addition, 20 bone marrow transplants were performed.

Teaming up to Bring Healing and Hope

Paul Pitel, MD, a pediatric oncologist and Chairman of Pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Clinic, Jacksonville says, “Treating childhood cancer is the ultimate medical team sport. Through both internal and external collaborations, we are able to offer a rare constellation of therapies and necessary support services for children and their families. The result is that we can do much more for our patients.”

A number of successful and unique collaborations include:

• a partnership with the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute to offer proton beam radiation, a revolutionary form of therapy which specifically targets the tumor while sparing surrounding healthy tissue
• the combined stem cell transplant program of Mayo Clinic-Nemours Children’s Clinic-Wolfson Children’s Hospital
• the Sunshine Developmental Therapeutics consortium with Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Florida and University of Miami, offering novel therapies for children with very high risk tumors
• collaborations with community partners to best serve our patients and their families

Looking For Answers That Can Lead to Cures

At Nemours Children’s Clinic, research plays a very important role in providing the best care for children with cancer. Currently there are nearly 100 research studies from the Children’s Oncology Group open for enrollment and more through our collaborations with many other investigators and organizations.

Research efforts help make clinical trials available to more children than ever, giving them treatment that offers the best chance for a cure and a healthy future.

The Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research, brings together our cancer programs in Wilmington, Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola in order to best serve our patients. Under the leadership of director Ayyappan Rajasekaran, PhD, the center has multiple research laboratories in Wilmington, Delaware as well as collaborations across the Nemours enterprise for a unified approach to fighting childhood cancer.

A Promise to do Whatever it Takes

As a national health system devoted entirely to children’s health and well-being, Nemours is dedicated to treating - and beating ‑ childhood cancer. Seeing the whole child, we go beyond treatment to research cures, to be a voice for kids and to partner with families to achieve the best possible outcomes. It’s all part of our promise to do whatever it takes and to care for every child as if they were our own.