Children's Hospital of Oklahoma (CHO) at the University of Oklahoma is a member institution of the Pediatric Oncology Group. One of our primary goals is the enrollment of the majority of pediatric patients with cancer in the state of Oklahoma in a cooperative cancer program (POG). Participation in group studies guarantees optimal care for these patients and the opportunity to study in depth the natural history of childhood cancer, develop effective therapeutic regimens, and evaluate the toxicity. and effectiveness of new anti-cancer agents in the treatment of childhood cancer. In addition to the POG studies, institutional non- therapeutic protocols have been developed, i.e., evaluation of leukemic therapy on the central nervous system of newly diagnosed leukemic patients and longitudinal evaluation of coping mechanisms with stress among patients and parents of children with cancer. For all these programs, patient resources and scientific expertise are available in Children's Hospital of Oklahoma. The team at the University of Oklahoma is multidisciplinary. It consists of pediatric hematologists- oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pediatric surgeons, immunologists, pathologists and psychologists. All protocols are reviewed by the Institutional Review Board and informed consent is obtained on all patients entered into these protocols. Protocol compliance remains a high priority. The evaluability rate for the last four years averaged 92.5%. St. Francis Hospital of Tulsa was previously considered a branch of CHO. At the request of the POG Operations Office, Tulsa has applied to become an affiliate institution. The University of New Mexico is also affiliated with the University of Oklahoma. It serves an economically disadvantaged population (native American Indians) which needs to be included in the population studied by cooperative cancer groups. The Pathology Department at the University of New Mexico has special expertise in molecular diagnostic hematopathology and in solid tumors which can benefit the research efforts of the Pediatric Oncology Group.
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