All types of cancer, including childhood cancer, have a common disease
process - cells that grow out of control and can ultimately
spread (or metastasize) to other organs and tissues. As cancer cells
grow, they demand more and more of the body's resources. Cancer takes
a child's strength, destroys organs and bones, and weakens a child's
defenses against other illnesses.
Thankfully, childhood cancers are relatively
rare and advances in modern medicine have vastly improved
the outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer. Seventy
percent of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured; however, those
rates vary for each type of cancer. Typically, your primary care doctor
will be the first to suspect a problem. However, once cancer has been
diagnosed, it is important for parents to seek help for their child at
a medical center that specializes in pediatric oncology, or treatment
for childhood cancer.
Cancer is not the only diagnosis that should be
treated by an expert in pediatric hematology and oncology.
Patients with hematologic disorders such as Sickle cell disease,
hemophilia, bleeding disorders and some types of anemia should seek their
expertise.
The Pediatric Cancer and Hematology
Center is located
at the David C. Pratt Cancer Center at St. John’s Mercy. Robert
Bergamini, M.D. and Rob Hanson, M.D. offer comprehensive care of pediatric
cancer and hematologic diseases with a focus on maintaining the child's
participation in social and educational life to the greatest extent possible.
Find
a physician specializing in pediatric hematology and oncology.
