If your child has leukemia or lymphoma, you want them to have access to the
latest treatments, delivered by experts who understand every aspect of their
condition. At Atrium Health Levine Children’s, our pediatric oncologists work
together to understand your child’s unique health issues and match them with
treatments that offer the best chance at a healthy, happy life.
What we treat
We have a dedicated care team for treating blood cancers, cancers that start
when the bone marrow produces large amounts of abnormal blood cells. Leukemia
and lymphoma are the two most common blood cancers.
Leukemia
Leukemia begins when abnormal cells called blasts start to replace a patient’s
bone marrow. When this happens, the bone marrow can no longer do its normal
job of making red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells. Bruising,
bleeding, fever, bone pain and fatigue are often early signs of leukemia.
Levine Children’s helps kids with many types of leukemia:
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Acute leukemias, which develop from abnormal white blood
cells and spread quickly. There are two main types of acute leukemia:
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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
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Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which occurs when the body
produces too many myeloid white blood cells, but does it more slowly than
with acute myeloid leukemia.
Lymphoma
There are many different types of lymphoma and these cancers can be found in
any place in the body. We have expertise in all childhood lymphomas,
including:
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Hodgkin lymphoma, which involves a specific type of cell
called the Reed-Sternberg cell.
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Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Burkitt’s lymphoma
- Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
- B-lymphoblastic lymphoma
- T-lymphoblastic lymphoma
- Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma
- Other rare slow-growing lymphomas more often seen in adults
Treating leukemia and lymphoma
Levine Children’s uses a team approach to evaluate your child from every
angle. Then we create a custom treatment plan. Our therapies include:
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Chemotherapy, medicines that kill cancer cells. Most
chemotherapy treatments don’t require an inpatient hospital stay and can be
done in our kid-friendly outpatient infusion center.
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Radiation therapy, using high-energy rays to target cancer
cells. We have dedicated radiation oncologists who have lots of experience
treating kids.
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Immunotherapies, which activate your child’s immune system
to attack cancer cells. We offer clinical trials of the latest
immunotherapies, which typically are less toxic and have fewer side effects
than traditional cancer treatments.
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Bone marrow transplants, where we replace a child’s bone
marrow with bone marrow from a healthy donor. This can help the body make
healthy blood cells instead of cancerous cells. Our transplant program has
some of the region's best outcomes, and we’re exploring ways to make
transplants available to patients who can’t find a perfectly matched donor.
Support services
Cancer affects every part of a child’s life, from their mental health to their
nutrition. That’s why we offer support services including:
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Child
life specialists,
who help kids with everything from understanding treatments to explaining
their illness to teachers and classmates.
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Child psychologists, who specialize in helping childhood
cancer survivors. For instance, these children often have trouble
transitioning back to school. Our specialists assess how children learn.
Then we develop education plans that set them up for success.
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Integrative medicine using therapies like Reiki and massage
to help kids heal.
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Patient support groups, which help children with cancer
connect with other kids just like them.
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Parent support groups, which connect parents with other
families dealing with childhood cancer.
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Social workers who help assess families’ financial and
emotional needs and provide resources to help.
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Survivorship programs, which help children get treatments
to stay healthy and manage complications once their cancer is in remission.
Why choose Levine Children's?
Levine Children’s offers leading care to families across the Southeast. Here’s
why families bring their kids to us:
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Specialized blood cancer experts. We have a group of
pediatric hematologist-oncologists solely dedicated to treating leukemias
and lymphomas. That means they have lots of experience with leukemia and
lymphoma and know the best treatments for each type and stage.
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Comprehensive support for kids and families. Our patients
don’t just have access to top doctors – we pair each child with
psychologists, nurses, social workers and other experts who specialize in
helping children and families cope with cancer. We pay close attention to
how cancer affects every part of a child’s life – from diet to exercise to
schoolwork – and find ways to meet their specific needs.
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Research and clinical trials. Many of our physicians are
also researchers pursuing the next generation of breakthroughs. Through our
partnerships with the
Children’s Oncology Group
and
Therapeutic Advances in Childhood
Leukemia and Lymphoma Consortium
(TACL),
we offer access to clinical trials of the latest, most effective therapies.
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Care from childhood to adulthood. We care for children and
young adults who’ve been diagnosed with blood cancers up to age 26. As our
patients become adults, we transition them to our program at Levine Cancer
Institute. This gives our patients continuous care from a health
organization they know and trust.