Columbus Children's Hospital (CCH) is a 313-bed fully capable children's hospital, which has been a funded Childrens Cancer Group (CCG) institution since 1958. Dr. Frederick B. Ruymann has been the Principal Investigator (PI) and CCG representative to the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS) since November 1982. The Division of Hematology/Oncology is the pediatric component of the OSU-NCI funded Comprehensive Cancer Center and has an approved hematology/oncology fellowship with 60 residents in pediatrics. CCH serves as the CCG-Pathology Center, which is under the direction of Dr. Stephen Qualman (Co-Investigator), a member of the CCG Pathology Steering Committee. The CCH/CCG Network, which includes three other institutions in Ohio, The Medical College of Ohio (Toledo), the Children's Medical Center/Wright Patterson AFB (Dayton), and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Cleveland), saw 241 children and adolescents with newly diagnosed malignancy in 1996. In November 1997, the Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia became the fourth affiliate in the CCH/CCG network. From 1992 through 1996 an average of 87 patients were placed annually on CCG therapeutic (Phase I/II) studies; 56 cases per year were placed on non-therapeutic studies. From 1992-1996, there were 437 therapeutic and 282 non-therapeutic CCG entries by the CCH/CCG Network. CCH/CCG Network follows 561 long-term survivors of childhood cancer and an additional 213 survivors on Intergroup studies. CCH is an approved CCG Phase I/II (1990) and bone marrow transplant (1992) institution under the direction of Drs. Kathryn Klopfenstein and Alfred Grovas (Co-Investigators), respectively. CCH was approved by the National Marrow Donor Program for the performance of matched unrelated transplants in July 1997. CCH's resident scientist, M. Sue O'Dorisio, MD, PhD (Co-Investigator) is a world expert on the neuropeptide regulation of neuroblastoma and a member of the CCG Neuroblastoma Strategy Committee. Other Co-Investigators on this grant include Dr. Allan Yates (neuropathology), and Dr. Amanda Rauck (pediatric oncology) who both have major roles in CCG science and leadership. CCH has made major contributions in diagnosis, treatment, and biology of leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma, brain tumors, and neuroblastoma, through CCG pilot and pre-clinical investigations. Current protocols or proposals include escalating cyclophosphamide in intermediate risk rhabdomyosarcoma, neuropeptide imaging in neuroblastoma and peripheal neural ectodermal tumors, high-dose rate brachytherapy in soft tissue sarcomas, and bone marrow transplant in brain tumors. The status of each of these protocols is discussed in the text of this competing renewal.
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