Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among children. At Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, the Neuro-Oncology Program is committed to improving the survival rate for children who have tumors of the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerve through state-of-the-art, research-based care. The clinical program is directed by Children’s Neuro-Oncology Tumor Board, chaired by Ian Pollack, MD, (neurosurgery) and Regina Jakacki, MD, (pediatric oncology), which incorporates a team of professionals from fields such as radiation oncology, radiology, pathology, neurology, social work and nursing, who are all highly trained in the care of children with nervous system tumors.

Depending on their type of tumor, patients may be eligible for treatment in one of many innovative research protocols at Children’s Hospital. These protocols, several of which are only available at a few centers throughout the country, provide Children’s patients access to new treatments and cutting-edge therapeutic approaches.

The Neuro-Oncology Research Program is funded in-part by the NIH and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Through funding provided by the NCI, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinical Trials Consortium was created. The Consortium is a network of leading academic research medical centers that designs, conducts and evaluates promising treatments for children with brain malignancies and shares institutional expertise, brain tumor specimens and other data. The consortium, in which Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh plays a key role, is designed to rapidly identify and evaluate novel treatments and expedite the progress of pediatric neuro-oncological care.

Members of team also hold international leadership positions in the Children’s Oncology Group. Dr. Pollack has chaired the Central Nervous System Tumor Committee for many years, and has played a major role in the development of new treatment approaches for children with brain tumors, and also in developing educational materials for patients and families with these lesions. Such information can be found at the following sites:

National Cancer Institute: PDQ® Cancer Information Summaries: Pediatric Treatment
Treatment options for childhood cancers.

People Living With Cancer
Oncologist-approved cancer information from the world's leading organization representing medical professionals who treat people with cancer.