Pediatric Oncology

If your child has leukemia, an immunodeficiency or other blood diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, which do not respond well to treatment, they may be eligible for a bone marrow transplant. 

Led by renowned expert David Jacobsohn, M.D., ScM, our blood and bone marrow transplantation program is one of few in the United States with a team of dedicated pediatric bone marrow transplant physicians and advanced practice nurses. 

Our advanced knowledge allows us to deliver transplants with unparalleled expertise, even when your child is critically ill. Our transplant program is recognized for its state-of-the-art treatments developed by doctors at Children's National. In addition, we are one of few programs that perform extracorporeal photopheresis, a treatment that helps children with dangerous complications after transplantation, including graft-versus-host disease.

Children’s National is one of the only programs in the world offering a pediatric cellular therapy program. This novel treatment helps children for whom conventional blood cancer treatments have not been successful, as well as children suffering infections as a result of cancer-fighting bone marrow transplants. Cellular therapy can help train your child’s immune system to fight cancer and infections with the use of specially engineered T-cells. T-cells are part of the immune system and play a critical role in the body’s ability to fight cancer. 

If your child has leukemia, lymphoma or sickle cell disease, or suffers a relapse or complications after a bone marrow transplant, cellular therapy could be right for them. 

Led by Catherine Bollard, M.D., MBChB, the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research is leading the way in clinical and research efforts to fight cancer and other diseases using adoptive cell therapy to strengthen the immune system. Our research team is expanding the field of immunotherapy with T-cell technology that is only available here at Children’s National. We have partnered with Seattle Children’s, BC Children’s Hospital and Children's Hospital Los Angeles to launch CureWorks, an initiative developed to expand immunotherapy trials and patient access around the world, as well as share data and collective expertise to advance novel cell therapies.

Ranked among the top pediatric oncology programs in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s National Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine have partnered to create a dedicated pediatric Radiation Oncology Program that focuses on advancing pediatric clinical care and pediatric radiation oncology research. Through our collaborative program, pediatric patients receive the most advanced radiation treatments, and also have access to innovative proton therapy not widely available elsewhere. 

View our video about this collaboration.

We offer the latest therapies in psychosocial support, including psychological counseling, music therapy and art therapy to help your child cope with the emotional difficulties and challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

We value and appreciate your feedback in making important decisions about medical care. To help you with this, our teams include nurses and social workers who specialize in helping you understand your child's illness and treatment options.