Hackensack University Medical Center Investigators Present Pioneering Research at Annual Pediatric Cancer Meeting

Researchers from Hackensack Meridian Children's Health at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center presented seven studies at the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) Conference in Fort Worth in May. The nationally recognized hospital is home to the only pediatric stem cell transplant program in New Jersey and is one of the few treatment centers in the nation providing CAR T-cell immunotherapy for children and adolescents.

“Our doctors are consistently finding better ways to treat even the rarest types of cancer and challenging blood disorders in children,” said Alfred P. Gillio, MD, chief of Pediatric Hematology at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital. “We offer patients access to more than 100 national and international clinical trials. Some of the treatment protocols we use have been developed at our facilities and are only available at our children’s hospitals.

“Each patient we treat benefits from a team of pediatric oncologists, surgeons, nurses, and other providers who specialize in children’s cancer care and work together as specialized treatment teams,” added Burton Appel, MD, associate chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. “These teams focus on each child’s specific diagnosis and promote strong relationships between patients, families, and clinicians to deliver the most effective care.”

More than 1,200 pediatric hematology/oncology professionals from around the world attend the ASPHO Conference each year. The leading meeting for the field, the ASPHO Conference allows attendees to receive high-quality educational content, network with their colleagues, and discover innovative advancements in pediatric hematology/oncology.

ASPHO Conference Presentations

• A 15-year-old with overlapping features of two rare types of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Ashley Varkey, DO, Pritish Bhattacharyya, MD, Burton Appel, MD)
• Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome: a unique presentation (Ashley Varkey, DO, Camille Wilson, MD, Kathleen Barnes, CGC, Maria Schwab, MD, Xiao Yang, MD, Melanie Degliuomini, MD)
• Early unrelated cord blood transplant with reduced intensity cytoreduction for PNP deficiency (Melissa Arfuso, MD, Shir Miretzky, DO, Ashley Varkey, DO, Alfred P. Gillio, MD)
• Nephrotic syndrome and Hodgkin lymphoma: two cases with a great difference in clinical presentation (Adam C. Rubenstein, Ashley Varkey, DO, Robert Zenenberg, DO, Burton Appel, MD)
• Precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma presenting as a primary jaw tumor: clinical and genomic findings (Claudia Heller, BS, Albert Ho, MD, Ashley Varkey, DO, Burton Appel, MD)
• A coagulopathy conundrum: a new case of FV-Atlanta (Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, DO, Katherine Armstrong, MD, Helio Pedro, MD, Melanie Degliuomini, MD)
• Smoldering leukemia presenting after prolonged pancytopenia (Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, DO, Jing Chen, MD)