A-T Cancer Clinic at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, located in Memphis, Tennessee, is the world's premiere center for research and treatment of potentially fatal childhood diseases, including cancer and certain blood, genetic and immunodeficiency disorders. The hospital's mission is to cure children of catastrophic diseases through treatment and research.
The leadership of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital agreed to establish an A-T Cancer Clinic at the distinguished institution for the treatment of children with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). Children with A-T develop cancer at a strikingly high frequency.
A-T patients who develop cancer are encouraged to seek referrals to, or at least consultations at, the A-T Cancer Clinic at St. Jude's for a diagnostic work-up. Then, after reviewing the diagnosis, the patient's family is able to decide between treatment at St. Jude or at their own local hospital with consultation from St. Jude physicians.
Families who elect to have their children treated at St. Jude do not have to bear any of the costs or treatment there. All medical costs at St. Jude that are not covered by the family's insurance carrier, including travel to and from Memphis, are covered by St. Jude.
The new A-T Cancer Clinic makes it possible to optimize treatment by developing and fine-tuning protocols for the types of tumors commonly seen in A-T patients. In addition, whenever possible, St. Jude researchers collect leukemia and lymphoma cells from patients, studying them, and storing them in a cell bank for future investigations.
Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, who is currently Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Dr. John T. Sandlund, Director of the Leukemia/Lymphoma Clinic, oversee the A-T Cancer Clinic.
Physicians seeking more information should call 901-495-3300 and page Dr. Sandlund or contact him by fax at 901-521-9005 or by email at John.sandlund@stjude.org.