As an academic medical center, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital actively participates in academic medical research. Part of the Children’s Oncology Group and one of the founding members of the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium, our expert oncologists actively investigate new, innovative approaches to treating childhood cancers.
Because of this, Cardinal Glennon is able to provide the latest treatment options, including cutting-edge clinical trials that give children and families access to advanced new treatments that may not be available at many other medical institutions. At any given time, the Hematology and Oncology department at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is actively participating in more than 50 clinical trials.
This means that these expert physicians are also innovative researchers, working to learn more about how to translate discoveries in the laboratory into improved clinical care. In the last five years, cancer researchers at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital have authored more than 60 research publications and abstracts contributing to advancing global knowledge around childhood cancer.
One example of the clinical trials that are helping find effective treatments for advanced, hard-to-treat cancers involves a medication called eflornithine. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital was one of the original hospitals exploring the use of eflornithine in children with high-risk neuroblastoma, leading to FDA approval in 2023.
Because laboratory research has shown that many aggressive bone tumors have the same underlying genetic change that eflornithine targets in neuroblastoma, a new trial is testing whether adding eflornithine to conventional therapy can help prevent tumor relapse in those children. Clinical trials such as these offer families access to promising, more targeted treatment options that may help prevent these aggressive cancers from returning.
“Clinical trials have been essential in transforming the outlook for children with cancer. When I was the same age as the children we treat, a diagnosis of cancer was an almost certain death sentence,” said Dr. William Ferguson, head of Hematology and Oncology at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “Today, over 85% of our patients will be cured of their disease. This is entirely due to the research efforts of physician-scientists who work every day to improve the care of our patients.”
Recent publications include research on neuroblastoma, bone cancers, bone marrow transplantation, and supportive care for children with advanced cancer.
At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, we believe that cancer care should never be one-size-fits-all, and our expert academic physicians continue to work tirelessly to advance precision cancer care so that every child can have the opportunity to heal and thrive.
To learn more about advanced cancer care at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, visit CardinalGlennon.com/Cancer.
