September 13th Is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 05 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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A pediatric bone cancer survivor who now is studying to become a pediatric hematologist/oncologist…a childhood leukemia survivor who has walked a mile in the shoes of the young cancer patients she now treats. These are just a few of the hundreds of patients treated through the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology program at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), which is celebrating 15 years of patient care this year. Through that time, the program has helped advance research, treatment and other care options for some of the youngest cancer patients. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 10,700 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in children under age 15 this year. And while rare, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children, exceeded only by accidents. The five-year survival rate for childhood cancer is 80 percent.

The service offerings at CINJ go beyond normal treatment regiments. For instance, a state-accredited classroom setting is offered through the program, which provides educational support to children from pre-school through high school.

And while survivorship rates for pediatric cancer patients remain high, specialists believe that follow-up care is critical to a young patient's continued journey through life. That's why the Long-term, Information, Treatment effects and Evaluation (LITE) Program, was developed at CINJ in order to address specific needs of this growing population. The program enables survivors of childhood cancer to experience the best quality of life by addressing their individual late effects and providing the necessary support, education, and intervention.

CINJ experts available for comment include:

Richard Drachtman, M.D., interim division chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at CINJ and professor of pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. His expertise/research interests include pediatric oncology, hematology, sickle cell disease and newborn screening for hemoglobinopathies in New Jersey. Dr. Drachtman is one of the unit's original doctors, having seen pediatric patients at CINJ for more than a decade.

Dawn Carey, R.N., M.S.N., C.P.O.N., A.P.N.C., pediatric nurse practitioner and coordinator, LITE Program at CINJ.

Christine Call-Sternberg, counselor, patient management liaison and director of the Pediatric Oncology Palliative Care Program at CINJ. Call-Sternberg is responsible for initiating the classroom educational program at CINJ.

Anita Norman, teacher, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology program at CINJ. Norman, who has dual certification in special education (grades K - 12) and elementary education, has been teaching in the classroom at CINJ for the past twelve years.

Cancer Institute of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
United States
http://www.cinj.org