Pediatric Cancers We Treat

At University Health, your child will have access to advanced cancer care and treatment from an academic medical center close to home in South Texas.

About Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancers usually happen because of changes in the genes of growing cells. When body cells that are not normal grow very fast and spread to other parts of the body, they cause cancer.

A tumor is a group of abnormal cells clustered together. Tumors can be benign (no cancer cells) or malignant (with cancer cells). Malignant tumors can damage the body, preventing it from working right, and make your child very sick.

Caring for Your Child With Cancer

Get cancer care and treatment for children from birth through adolescence and young adulthood (ages 15-39) at University Health. Children and teens need cancer treatment that addresses their unique needs, which are different from those of adults. Our cancer care team concentrates on caring for your child’s physical and emotional needs along with your family’s.

Childhood Cancers We Treat

Find complete diagnosis, care and treatment for many types of cancers in children, adolescents and young adults, including:

• Blood, such as leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Bone, such as osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma
• Brain and spinal cord tumors
• Eye, such as retinoblastoma
• Germ cell tumors
• Kidney, such as Wilms tumor
• Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH)
• Liver, such as hepatoblastoma
• Neuroblastoma
• Soft tissue sarcoma, such as rhabdomyosarcoma

We have specialized expertise in diagnosing and treating uncommon and complex types of cancers.

Specialized Care for Teens and Young Adults

Benefit from our broad experience providing care and treatment for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer. Expect dedicated support for these age groups' needs because they face different challenges than younger children and adults.

Multidisciplinary Care Team

Count on your child getting comprehensive services and treatments from a team of doctors with different specialties. This multidisciplinary approach to care gives your child the most care options and best possible outcomes.

How We Diagnose Childhood Cancer

Symptoms of cancer can be mistaken for other childhood illnesses at first. After initial tests, your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider may recommend seeing a pediatric oncologist (cancer doctor).

First Visit

At your child’s first appointment with us, expect your cancer doctor to:

• Ask about your child’s health history and perform a physical exam
• Schedule medical tests, such as:
  
  • Blood and urine labs
  • Imaging tests to find cancer inside the body
  • Pathology tests to exam tissue or histology tests to exam cells for cancer
  • Molecular genetic tests to check for certain changes in genes

Cancer Education

Depending on your child’s diagnosis, you will receive a binder with educational pamphlets, booklets and other information about cancer and the treatments your child will have.

Referrals

If you are a physician, find out how to refer your patient.