The Children's Cancer Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, is one of the 30 full member institutions, 29 affiliate, 12 consortia and 9 CCOP institutions of the Pediatric Oncology Group who have pooled their patient resources and scientific expertise to study the natural history of childhood cancer, develop and compare effective therapeutic regimens and investigate the toxicity and effectiveness of new anticancer agents in the treatment of children with cancer. The investigators at Washington University include pediatric oncologists, radiologists, radiation therapists, neurologists, surgeons, and pathologists. All children with malignant disease are placed on cooperative group protocols if they are eligible, and if informed consent is obtained. Data accessioned at the time the patient is placed on study protocol, during the study, and when off therapy is submitted to the Group Statistical Office for data analysis, interpretation and eventual publication. The investigators at Washington University serve in multiple administrative and research capacities for the Group. The diagnostic studies, pathological findings, surgical procedure and therapeutic plan for all new patients and patients who relapse are discussed at the weekly Tumor Board Conference. Access to intensive multimodal therapy and experiment compounds is facilitated by the close contact of our institution with the nearby Pediatric Oncology Group Operations Office and with the Group Chairman who is one of our investigators. The Principal Investigator directs the single largest therapeutic Group study (for newly diagnosed non-T, non-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia), and the laboratory of another investigator serves as the Pediatric Oncology Group Reference Laboratory for the study of N-myc and N-ras oncogene activation, and for the establishment of lymphoblastoid cell lines from patients with neuroblastoma.
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