Program Highlights from the Cancer Center
View program highlights from the Cancer Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Cancer Immunotherapy Program
Children with certain cancers and other disorders of the blood and immune system may benefit from cellular immunotherapy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Doctors at Children's Hospital were the first to begin offering cell therapy in pediatrics as part of a pilot study in 2012. Our doctors and researchers helped develop the first national and international clinical trials for an immunotherapy known as chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR”) T-cell therapy for children with advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell ALL was the first-ever cell therapy to receive FDA approval. Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, Chief of the Cellular Therapy and Transplant Section at CHOP, was the lead investigator for the global trial led by Novartis.
Learn more about Cancer Immunotherapy Program.
Pediatric Proton Therapy Center
For your child with cancer, you choose treatments not just because they are effective but because they are safe and limit long-term effects. Proton therapy’s greatest benefit is the ability to deliver radiation doses directly to your child’s tumors, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The Cancer Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers one of the most established and experienced pediatric proton therapy programs, in collaboration with Penn Medicine at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. It was the first facility of its kind, designed specifically with children in mind.
Learn more about the Pediatric Proton Therapy Center.
Cancer Predisposition Program
About 16,000 children under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, and researchers now estimate that at least 10 percent of childhood cancers have a hereditary basis. To harness the growing understanding of hereditary factors in childhood cancer, we created the Cancer Predisposition Program in 2005. CHOP’s program uses the latest advances in technology to provide genetic testing, genetic counseling and cancer surveillance, and thus improve the outlook for children with a genetic predisposition to develop cancer.
Learn more about the Cancer Predisposition Program
Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program (CVAP)
Patients with vascular anomalies have conditions of the veins, arteries and the lymphatic system that can be classified as tumors (benign and malignant) and vascular malformations (congenital anomalies of the vasculature). These conditions, which can range in complexity, can cause pronounced visible deformities and disfigurement, impede critical organ functions such as swallowing or breathing, or cause severe pain interfering with one’s quality of life. The CVAP at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) includes state-of-the-art genomics and personalized research strategies to determine the causes of these conditions and identify targeted therapies. These innovative options are based on standards of excellent interdisciplinary clinical care.
Oncology Psychosocial Services Services Program
The Oncology Psychosocial Services Program is staffed by an expert team of psychologists, social workers, child-life specialists, creative arts therapists, chaplains and teachers who support cancer patients, families and medical staff at CHOP.
Learn more about our Psychosocial Services Services Program.
World-leading Experts
CHOP's Cancer Center is a pediatric cancer treatment facility staffed by internationally recognized pediatric oncologists and teams with expertise in every type of pediatric cancer. Our physicians, who have expertise in the rarest and most common pediatric cancers, work together to diagnose and treat patients using an evidence-based approach backed by the latest research advancements.
