M. D. Anderson - Orlando and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children have joined together to provide highly focused expertise and individual attention to critically ill children in our community.
Since 1995, our pediatric hematology and oncology doctors have cared for children with cancer and blood disorders, including: leukemia, central nervous system cancers, bone tumors, Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma, sickle cell disease and hemophilia.
Collaboration Enhances Pediatric Cancer Care
Our patient's medical cases are regularly reviewed by our team of board-certified radiation, medical and surgical oncologists along with our subspecialists, nurses, dietitians and social workers.
This unique multidisciplinary approach offers children and young adults with cancer the best opportunity for an accurate diagnosis and the most effective treatment available, emphasizing treatments that target cancer and help return children to a normal life.
In addition, our patients benefit from telemedicine conferences between M. D. Anderson - Orlando and the Children's Cancer Hospital at M. D. Anderson in Houston, where the most challenging and complex medical cases are discussed, treatments are evaluated and clinical research trials are debated.
Through a collaborative partnership between M. D. Anderson in Houston and Orlando Health, M. D. Anderson - Orlando participates in treatments, education, research, technology and advancements in the fight against cancer with one of the top cancer centers in the nation
This relationship ensures our patients receive the finest cancer care available and gives their families the benefit of having their diagnoses and treatment plans reviewed by one of the top cancer programs in the nation.
Individual Care
Each child at M. D. Anderson - Orlando has a medical team that consists of an attending physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, occupational therapist, social worker and dietitian. The attending physician makes the diagnosis, suggests a treatment strategy, and supervises all aspects of care. This team coverage continues even after a child has completed treatment with follow-up programs designed to meet the individualized needs of childhood cancer survivors.
Dual Credentialing
Our board-certified medical team – medical hematologists and oncologists and radiation oncologists – serves on the medical staffs of both M. D. Anderson – Orlando and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Through years of education and specialized medical training, the team shares timely, sophisticated information across disciplines to bring the finest cancer care to Central Florida.
Our Children's Cancer Program Has Three Distinct Units:
- Pediatric & Adolescent 11-bed inpatient unit at Arnold Palmer Hospital
- Pediatric Outpatient Clinic at M. D. Anderson - Orlando for outpatient visits and treatments
- Radiation oncology housed at M. D. Anderson - Orlando
Expansion plans for Arnold Palmer Hospital will increase the unit from 11 to 20 beds. Each room features cheerful decor and the hospital features a kid-friendly menu, special pediatric ambulances and even "medical play" programs to familiarize children or their siblings who have never been inside a hospital.
Treatment Options:
- Surgery is the most common treatment method for cancer. During surgery, cancerous tissue is removed from the body, often with some lymph nodes to determine whether the disease has spread.
- Radiation therapy is used to shrink tumors, kill residual cancerous cells after surgery, or to manage symptoms that may result from advanced disease.
- Chemotherapy is the use of medication to kill cancerous cells. It is commonly administered to a patient by mouth or intravenously (by inserting a needle into a vein).
Location
The Pediatric Oncology Department is located at Arnold Palmer Hospital and one block from M. D. Anderson - Orlando.
Our Team of Experts
For more information or to schedule a consulation, please call 321.841.1869.