The Pediatric Surgery team provides expertise and comprehensive care for
infants, children and young adults who have been diagnosed with bone or
soft tissues tumors, both benign and malignant. The pediatric surgeons
work closely with pediatric oncologists, orthopedic surgeons, radiation
oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and a robust group of supportive
care services to treat our patients in a collaborative, multidisciplinary
setting. Supportive care services include rehabilitation services, psychology,
psychiatry, child life specialists, and social workers.
Through our membership in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), we
can offer patients from infancy to adolescence and young adulthood the
most up-to-date clinical trials in our field as we continually strive
to improve long-term outcomes for these patients. Such participation in
clinical research efforts allows us to provide patients and families with
access to both expert, state-of-the-art care as well as clinical trial options.
Weekly Tumor Board
The Children’s Hospital Tumor Board is a multidisciplinary team conference
held weekly to discuss patients with a new cancer diagnosis, a relapsed
diagnosis, or patients who may be difficult to manage. Pediatric specialists
participating in the conference include the oncologists, pediatric surgeons,
neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons as well as radiologists, pathologists,
nurse navigators, and social workers. The patient’s medical history,
physical findings, diagnostic testing and labs, imaging studies, and pathology
results are thoroughly reviewed, and a comprehensive treatment plan is
developed to give each patient the best possible chance of survival and
the best possible quality of life.
Surgical Oncology Committee
The Children’s Hospital Surgical Oncology Committee meets twice monthly
to review all new solid tumor diagnoses as well as any cancer patients
admitted to the hospital. This committee is made up of physicians from
oncology, general surgery, otolaryngology (ENT), orthopedics, neurosurgery,
and urology. The goal of this committee is to foster collaboration and
streamlining of care for our most complex cancer patients and to facilitate
discussion of patients requiring the involvement of surgeons from multiple
subspecialties. This committee is also available to provide recommendations
or second opinions to outside hospitals that may not have the same oncology
resources.
