About the Hematologic Malignancy Center
Children with hematologic malignancies, including leukemia and lymphoma, are treated through the Hematologic Malignancy Center at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, an integrated pediatric hematology and oncology partnership between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital. In addition to treating lymphomas and leukemias, we treat the primary types of histiocytosis, which is not a form of cancer but shares some common characteristics and is often treated using some of the same therapies.
Our multidisciplinary approach to care ensures thoughtful discussion of every treatment decision and individualized care plans for each patient. Our team integrates expertise from the following specialists:
- pediatric hematologists/oncologists, pediatric hematopathologists (pathologists specializing in childhood blood diseases including leukemia and lymphoma), surgical oncologists, stem cell transplant physicians, and radiation oncologists
- experts from every pediatric medical subspecialty, including diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, cardiology, neurology, pulmonology, endocrinology, infectious disease, and pediatric anesthesia, among others
- highly skilled and experienced pediatric oncology nurses
- child life specialists, psychologists, social workers, and resource specialists who provide supportive care before, during, and after treatment
Treating every type of blood cancer, even the most rare
Our center played a key role in refining treatment for childhood leukemia, resulting in today's cure rates of more than 90 percent for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The program sees more than 125 newly diagnosed patients with leukemia and lymphoma annually, and continues to lead high-impact clinical trials designed to increase cure rates, decrease treatment-related toxicities, and improve care for long-term survivors. In addition, our program treats children and adolescents with other conditions, including post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a life-threatening condition caused by immune dysregulation, primarily of histiocytes and lymphocytes, and Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), which is a cancer-like condition and may involve treatment with chemotherapy.
Learn more about the Hematologic Malignancy Center on the Dana-Farber website, which also includes the following programs:
