Pediatric Cancer Program

Project Summary/Abstract The overall goal of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s (DLDCCC) Pediatric Cancer Program (PCP) is to improve outcomes for children and adolescents. The 59 research and clinical members of the PCP work together and with DLDCCC collaborators to improve early detection, increase cure rates, and decrease the acute and long-term side effects of cancer treatment. Supported by the infrastructure of the DLDCCC, Texas Children’s Hospital, and a large pediatric oncology training program, the PCP has more than $14 million in total funding, $6.4 million of which is from the NCI. During the funding period, Program members published 520 papers, 15% in journals with impact factors >20, demonstrating robust intra-programmatic (38%), inter-programmatic (31%), and inter-institutional laboratory and clinical collaborations. The PCP treats over 90% of children with cancer in a catchment area that includes Houston, the fourth most populous city in the United States. Notably, the demographics of those treated and enrolled into clinical trials through our PCP reflect our catchment area population. This important work extends beyond our catchment area to children with less access to cutting-edge cancer care in the Rio Grande Valley area of Texas. Thus, the PCP is well positioned to continue support the strategic mission of the DLDCCC to perform transdisciplinary research, provide cutting-edge care, train the next generation of scientific leaders, and develop and implement novel treatment strategies and improve cancer outcomes for children in Texas and across the nation. To accomplish these goals and support the strategic pillars of the DLDCCC, Cancer Center and PCP leadership restructured the previous six themes with disease- and discipline-specific focuses to three overarching themes: the Tumor, the Patient, and Novel Therapies. This new structure catalyzes inter-theme and intra-theme collaborations. The updated PCP, led by Drs. Sharon Plon and Carl Allen, also aligns with evolution of cutting-edge Pediatric Oncology research, moving beyond conventional chemotherapy-driven disease-specific trials to rational approaches based on tumor biology, patient-specific features, and targeted therapeutic strategies. This approach re-enforces the overall goals of the PCP for local discoveries to drive innovative, effective therapies with a profound positive impact.