Cancer research

Mayo Clinic aims to improve understanding of how cancer starts, what it needs to survive, and how to interfere with these processes to eliminate cancer. There is a dire need for better understanding of childhood cancer that allows for the development of less-toxic therapies. Members of Mayo's Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology are actively involved in:

  • Conception and design of national studies on childhood cancer
  • Identifying new molecular targets to improve therapy for childhood cancers, especially leukemias, lymphomas and brain tumors, such as malignant gliomas and medulloblastomas. This will lead to development of better, more-targeted drugs for treatment.
  • Studying the role of a specific pathway in the development and progression of cancer. The life, death and activity of most proteins within cells are regulated through a complex molecular network known as the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

These studies will aid in understanding how our bodies work under normal situations, to help prevent cancer in the first place.

Research on bleeding disorders and thrombosis

Members of this division are involved in research on surgical outcomes in patients with bleeding disorders. This group is also reviewing Mayo Clinic's experience in managing complications and the impact on quality of life after deep vein thrombosis in children. The results of this study will improve the immediate care of children who have thrombosis and provide long-term follow-up to prevent potential complications.

Publications

See a list of publications by Mayo Clinic doctors on pediatric cancer and blood disorders on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.