Home to one of the largest pediatric sarcoma programs in Chicago and an active research program in children’s oncology, the pediatric oncology program at Rush is staffed by clinicians dedicated to the care of all young people — from infants through young adults — with pediatric hematologic malignancies, including leukemias and lymphomas, solid tumors and sarcomas, and many rare cancers.

2011 Highlights

Acupuncture for pain management: Research indicates that up to 70 percent of pediatric patients experience pain, and those with chronic illnesses often do not have adequate relief or prevention of pain. In an effort to find an effective pain management therapy that does not carry the serious side effects caused by narcotics and other pain medications, Angela Johnson, Dipl OM, LAc, MSTOM, MPH — a Chinese medicine practitioner who is a member of Rush’s Cancer Integrative Medicine Program — is leading an investigation of acupuncture for the management of pain and nausea in pediatric patients. Paul Kent, MD, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist is also participating in the study.

COG credentialed: The radiation oncology department at Rush is credentialed to treat Children’s Oncology Group (COG)-protocol patients.

Sharing resources: Rush, along with the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and the University of Illinois Medical Center, is part of the largest pediatric oncology network in Chicago. By bringing their clinical research programs together, these institutions promote access to clinical trials and streamline patient recruitment. They also share an institutional review board, which rotates every three years from institution to institution.

Caring for the whole child: The Child Life and Creative Arts Program at Rush focuses on the emotional and developmental well-being of hospitalized children and their families. It helps children cope with illnesses and hospitalization through activities such as therapeutic play, teaching children about their illnesses and preparing them for procedures, nonpharmaceutical pain management techniques (such as guided imagery), animal-assisted therapy and bedside arts education (through the Snow City Arts In-Residence Program). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, child life services such as these may improve patient satisfaction and help to contain costs by reducing hospital length of stay and decreasing the need for analgesics.

Multidisciplinary Team

Orthopedic surgeon:
Steven Gitelis, MD

Pediatric hematologist/oncologists:
Nisha Kakodkar, MD; Paul Kent, MD; Allen Korenblit, MD; Mindy Simpson, MD; Leonard Valentino, MD

Pediatric neuroradiologists:
Sharon Byrd, MD; Mehmet Kocak, MD

Pediatric neurosurgeon:
Lorenzo Muñoz, MD

Radiation oncologists:
Ross Abrams, MD; Aidnag Diaz, MD, MPH

Clinical Trials

As members of the Children’s Oncology Group, a clinical trials group supported by the National Institutes of Health, researchers at Rush offer a wide array of clinical trials for children with cancer. For more information about open clinical trials, visit www.rush.edu/
cancerclinicaltrials. To enroll a patient in a clinical trial, call (312) 942-0600.

For more information about the pediatric oncology program or to refer a patient for an initial visit or a second opinion, please call (312) CANCER-1 (226-2371).