Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

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Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

1600 Rockland Road
P.O. Box 269
Wilmington, DE 19899
Phone: (302) 651-4000 or (888) 533-3KID

Last updated: Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Oncology

The Oncology program at Nemours offers comprehensive care for children with all types of cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma and cancers of the brain, bone, soft tissues and others. A multidisciplinary approach is always used for children with cancer and involves a large number of specialists well trained and experienced in the treatment of childhood cancer. Pediatric Surgery, Neurosurgery, other surgical subspecialists, Blood & Bone Marrow Transplant, Radiation Oncology, Medical Imaging, Pathology, and other pediatric subspecialists all play extremely important roles in the care of children with cancer, and great effort is made to ensure optimal communication among physicians.

Nemours provides excellent care that focuses on the family and supporting them through an extremely stressful time. This is accomplished with sensitive nurses and Board-Certified physicians, physician assistants, full time social workers, Child Life Specialists, and a Cancer Care Coordinator who is responsible for coordinating the care of the patient and family throughout the cancer experience, from diagnosis through treatment, long term survival, late effects, or palliative care and hospice support. The team works to provide a balanced, family-friendly program with emphasis on supportive care and comfort as well as curative treatment.

Nemours actively participates in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). The COG is an international cooperative research group conducting clinical trials and performing research to identify cancer causes and pioneer treatments and cures for childhood cancer. The COG continues to refine research and treatment protocols to improve cancer cure rates and reduce side effects. Recently emphasis has been expanded to include quality of life issues and long-term side effects. Nemours participation in COG allows us to offer the best care available to patients.

The Nemours divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology has a close partnership with the Nemours Clinical Management program to implement a cutting edge electronic medical record that will allow physicians the most comprehensive ability to integrate current medical records from various services and also follow trends in children’s health over time, all at the touch of a button. This carefully planned approach to medical records allows us to improve quality of health care, and may ultimately help to improve our understanding of disease.

The Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant (BBMT) programs perform stem cell transplants for patients previously diagnosed with a variety of medical conditions, such as leukemia, anemia, brain tumors, other solid organ tumors, and genetic diseases. The physicians are specially trainedand are dedicated to providing the highest level of pediatric care available to children who need blood and bone marrow transplants. Patients may be followed by the division for a short time after their transplant and then referred back to their local physician, or the division may follow them until adulthood.

Important treatment decisions are made and reviewed at a weekly multidisciplinary Tumor Board. There is a focused bone tumor program with close interaction in the management of pediatric bone tumors between the bone tumor surgeon and bone tumor pediatric oncologist. There is a special multidisciplinary brain tumor clinic to expedite management decisions for these patients. The inpatient and outpatient units caring for children with cancer are staffed by pediatric nurses with specialty training in oncology and led by experienced nurse leaders and nursing educators dedicated to the care of children and adolescents with cancer or blood diseases.

Outpatient care is delivered in the Pediatric Oncology Day Therapy Suite. This area was built in 2005. It is a state of the art outpatient area where a variety of services can be delivered to childhood cancer patients. The oncology nurse team provides services including assessment, chemotherapy administration, blood transfusion, minor procedures, patient and caregiver education, nursing care and surveillance. Nurses work collaboratively with providers to care for each patient’s needs during the clinic visit. The Day Therapy Suite offers toys, games, arts and crafts with child sized furniture for play time and large comfortable areas for rest in a bright open area overlooking the hospital grounds. The Day Therapy Suite has an area designated especially for teens. Teens can receive chemotherapy, blood products or other treatments, in a space of their own, while playing computers and video games. This area is protected from the noises and activity sometimes associated with the younger patients. Two patient service representatives, an insurance verification representative, a clinical abstractor, and an administrative support assistant are available to provide support services for patients utilizing the outpatient area.

When hospitalized, a child with cancer will be placed on one of four patient care areas in the hospital depending on the patient diagnosis, the intensity of therapy, the level of care the patient needs, the patient/family issues that need nursing intervention for each hospitalization. All areas have access to chemotherapy and pediatric oncology certified nurses.

There is a growing bone marrow and stem cell transplant program. A specially protected environment for children undergoing stem cell transplants and/or intensive therapy for a malignancy opened in the spring of 2001.

2008 © The Nemours Foundation.