The CHOC Cancer Institute offers several unique programs that address the challenges faced by children with cancer.

The Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program

The Adolescent Cancer Program is a visionary initiative of the National Cancer Institute designed to give cancer patients in their teens access to the latest treatment alternatives in a multidisciplinary environment that stresses improved outcomes and enhanced quality of life. This dedicated program offers the full spectrum of services, from sophisticated clinical protocols to psychosocial services such as college and work counseling geared to the adolescent patients. At CHOC, the patient is closely managed by an integrated team of experts, who review each case and customize the care path for each patient according to his or her specific needs.

Our program gives adolescents access to the latest opportunities for a cure, tailoring treatment specifically to their age group. CHOC offers age-appropriate, disease-appropriate treatment in an environment that allows individuals to feel comfortable and at ease.

Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program

The CHOC BMT Program is staffed by a team of oncology experts, including two dedicated nurse coordinators who assist the patient and family through the transplant process. The majority of children who may benefit from a transplant are those with leukemia, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Other conditions that may respond to transplantation include hematologic disorders including immune deficiencies and aplastic anemia, lymphomas such as Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and solid tumors including some brain tumors, Ewing’s sarcoma and neuroblastoma.

The CHOC Bone and Marrow Transplantation Program, the only pediatric blood and marrow transplant program in Orange County, offers the full range of transplant procedures and services. These include:

Autologous bone marrow – In this transplant, the patient receives his or her own bone marrow.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplant – In this procedure, the bone marrow comes from a person other than the patient. The marrow may come from a related donor (such as a sibling), or an unrelated donor.

Peripheral blood stem cell – In this process, the patient receives his or her own peripheral stem cells (autologous) or stem cells from a related donor (allogeneic).

Umbilical cord blood transplant – In this procedure, blood is collected from the placenta after the umbilical cord is separated from a newborn baby. This blood contains large numbers of bone marrow stem cells and can be used as a source of donor cells from a sibling or unrelated donor for a bone marrow transplant.

ACTS- After the Cancer Treatment Survivorship Program

While remarkable progress has been made in cancer treatment, the long-term health of these childhood cancer survivors needs to be monitored. Research has shown that the effects of childhood cancer treatment may affect one’s health many years later. The Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic at the CHOC Cancer Institute is designed to detect the development of side effects from therapy that can occur years after treatment is completed. The program screens, identifies, diagnoses and treats the late effects of cancer treatment as early as possible and educates patients and their families about the long-term health implications of childhood cancer survival. This clinic consists of a multidisciplinary team of physicians and health care professionals who specialize in pediatric oncology treatment and follow-up.

Neuro-Oncology Program

The CHOC Neuro-Oncology Program at CHOC offers the latest in diagnostic services with most advanced surgical and clinical interventions in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric brain tumors. A multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized medical and surgical experts provide evaluation and treatment for children and adolescents who have tumors of the brain and spinal cord. Our multidisciplinary team of experts includes pediatric oncologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-radiologists, neuro-pathologists, radiation oncologists, and neuro-psychologists that incorporate the latest clinical protocols in the treatment and long-term follow-up of children and adolescents with brain and spinal cord tumors. Through the combined medical leadership of The CHOC Cancer and Neuroscience Institutes, we provide expertise and access to the latest national clinical protocols through membership in Children’s Oncology Group and Phase 1 Clinical trial designation, making us the only facility in the Southwestern United States to offer these innovative treatments.

Recurrent/Refractory Cancer Program

The Recurrent/Refractory Cancer Program offers a clinical team of experts for the evaluation and treatment of patients with progressive disease not responding to therapy and newly relapsed and second malignancy patients. The focus of the program is to provide patients with the best treatment options available by incorporating national protocols and resources specially designed for each cancer type.  Second opinion consultations are available by calling (714) 532-8636.

Palliative Care Program

The Palliative Care Program continues to provide services to the hematology/oncology patients, as well as serving as a consultant to all areas of the hospital.  The palliative care team has recently combined with the recurrent cancer program (recurrent/palliative care program) to more effectively manage our patients. The interdisciplinary team meets monthly to discuss hematology/oncology palliative care patients to ensure:

• optimal symptom management
• comprehensive patient and family psychosocial support
• communication of treatment plan, including potential Phase I trials as appropriate
• on-going communication with the patient/family regarding disease status, prognosis and treatment options
• collaboration with home health to maintain palliative care plan across the continuum