Overview
When your child is diagnosed with cancer, it changes your whole world. That’s why at M Health Fairview Pediatrics, we bring a world of comprehensive, compassionate cancer care – powered by the excellence of academic medicine and our child-focused expertise – to you.
We are Minnesota’s top institution for pediatric cancer care. At M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital and our pediatric specialty clinics, you’ll find world-leading experts in all types of childhood cancers, working together to create new and better treatments while keeping your family at the center of everything we do. We also have extensive experience treating rare or poorly defined childhood cancers.
M Health Fairview Pediatrics is the only children’s health system in Minnesota affiliated with the University of Minnesota, which means our patients have access to leading-edge clinical trials and medical breakthroughs in devices, techniques, and technologies before they’re widely available.
We’re also proud to partner with the Masonic Cancer Center, one of only 54 cancer centers nationwide to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. M Health Fairview Pediatrics is also home to the Minnesota’s only National Cancer Institute-funded Children’s Oncology Group Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Program. Children’s Oncology Group is the world’s largest organization devoted entirely to childhood and adolescent cancer research.
The providers at M Health Fairview are national and international leaders in pediatric cancer care.
Conditions and Treatment
Please Note: This is not a complete list of all the pediatric conditions we treat through our Rare Disease program. We diagnose and treat a wide range of issues. To inquire about a specific condition, or for more information, please call our Rare Disease program at 612-672-4009.
Our pediatric cancer care team combines the brightest minds and biggest hearts in medicine. Meet our world-class cancer experts.
Our pediatric cancer center and clinics are located on the campus of our nationally recognized children's hospital.
Our Approach to Pediatric Cancer Care
M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, the site of our pediatric cancer care center, is the longest-running top-ranked children's hospital in the Twin Cities. Here, we combine comprehensive care, advanced medical minds, and caring hearts. Every child is different, and so is how we care for them. Our team-based approach ensures that each child and family experiences cancer care that is molded to their personal journey and needs. We treat the whole child – inside and out. This includes offering unique integrative care programs, like art therapy and music therapy, to help children cope and focus on healing during their cancer journey.
Our care doesn’t stop when the cancer is in remission. Our Childhood Cancer Survivor Program supports survivors of all ages, walking with your child and family for years afterward to make sure your child has the brightest possible future. We can help your child navigate long-term physical and emotional side effects of treatment (known as late effects), educate them so they can maintain a healthy, active life, schedule follow-up screenings and, eventually, make the transition to adulthood and age-appropriate care.
We also know that a child's cancer diagnosis affects siblings and parents. That’s why we offer a range of family-friendly specialty services and amenities at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, from Child-Family Life Services to access to cancer support groups, so you can keep your focus where it belongs: on your child.
Comprehensive Cancer Care, Powered by Academic Medicine
Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy
The Blood and Marrow Transplant Program (BMT) at M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital is among the world's best. Our renowned BMT program is the site of innovative treatments, research studies, and clinical trials with our trailblazing researchers investigating new frontiers in stem cell therapy and immunotherapy.
CAR T-cell Therapy
M Health Fairview is one of only a few centers nationwide to offer this revolutionary new immunotherapy treatment for cancer. It works by adapting certain cells – called T-cells – to recognize and kill cancer cells.
Children’s Oncology Group Early Phase Pediatric Clinical Trials Program
The Children’s Oncology Group is the world’s largest organization devoted entirely to childhood and adolescent cancer research, with nearly 100 active clinical trials open at any given time.
Radiotheranostics
We are bringing the next frontier in cancer treatment directly to patients. This specialized form of nuclear medicine can diagnose and treat cancer using advanced imaging and highly targeted cancer-fighting drugs that have fewer side effects.
Rare Disease Center of Excellence
M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital has earned recognition for unparalleled commitment to rare disease care, including rare cancer predisposition syndromes. When families across the country need answers before or after a rare disease diagnosis, they come to us.
Katie Hageboeck Children’s Cancer Research Fund Clinic
In 1979, 13-year-old Katie Hageboeck was saving up for a red 10-speed bike. She was also going through a 16-month battle with leukemia. So Katie asked her parents to donate her bike money to help other children who have cancer. That donation started a movement that led to the creation of Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF), a nonprofit that has to date contributed more than $100 million to childhood cancer research. In 2021, we renamed our pediatric cancer clinic in honor of Katie and CCRF. Read more about her remarkable story, our partnership with CCRF, and the global impact CCRF continues to have.
Masonic Cancer Center
The Masonic Cancer Center is one of only 54 institutions in the United States – and the only institution in the Twin Cities – to be designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Having a world-class cancer research engine like the Masonic Cancer Center as our partner means our team can bring the latest evidence-based treatments and innovative ideas to benefit your child. We’re dedicated to applying the knowledge we gain through our research to improve your child’s quality of life.
Here, renowned scientists and physicians are working side by side in a collaborative research environment focused on the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. We share our discoveries with other scientists, students, professionals, and the community – and most of all, we use what we learn to benefit our patients and their families.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike most other hospitals and health systems, academic-driven health systems are connected to a university and a medical school. This type of organization offers several advantages when it comes to treating pediatric cancer.
Academic health systems are often the first institutions to benefit from leading-edge clinical research as it moves from the research lab to the hospital. Academic programs are also large enough to support a wide range of pediatric cancer specialists, including teams focused on rare childhood cancers. They typically have invested in state-of-the-art equipment that puts them at the forefront of cancer-fighting technology. These institutions are also the training grounds for the next generation of cancer doctors through medical residency and subspecialty fellowship programs.
Clinical trials are research studies that aim to develop and test new treatments for diseases, such as cancer. Some clinical trials may also study cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and survivorship. Clinical trials are a crucial part of the fight against cancer: today’s innovative advances in cancer detection and treatment are all the result of previous clinical trials. And tomorrow’s clinical trials may hold the key to finally curing cancer itself.
Participation in clinical trials is voluntary, and people with many types and stages of cancer may be eligible, including children. Taking part in a clinical trial may give patients access to a new therapy that could be an effective cancer treatment for them. Clinical trial participants are also helping to save lives by testing innovative treatments for future patients. To find out if a clinical trial may be right for your child, talk with your child’s healthcare team.
You can learn more about active clinical trials and register to participate using the University of Minnesota’s StudyFinder tool.
Many insurance companies do require a referral to see a specialty provider, such as the pediatric cancer care specialists at M Health Fairview Pediatrics. But the answer depends on the details of your health plan. To find out, contact your health insurer using the “member services” phone number or website on your insurance card.
Pediatric cancer treatment is complex. At different points in your child’s treatment plan, your child’s care team may include several specialists, including a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, blood and marrow transplant physician, surgeon, other specialists, genetic counselors, child family life providers, pharmacists, and care coordinators, among others. To get the best care, it can be helpful for all of your child’s doctors to work together as a unified, interdisciplinary team. This meeting of minds allows for the exchange of ideas, helping you make informed decisions about your treatment and resulting in a more coordinated, smoother journey for diagnosis and treatment.
Cancer can uniquely affect many areas of life for children as well as their families. That means that great cancer care doesn’t stop at treating the disease – it also addresses a broader range of patient needs.
M Health Fairview Pediatrics offers specially trained support services staff who are here for children and families affected by cancer from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Our patient support services staff includes specialists in cancer psychology, oncology nutrition, social work, transitional care coordination, spiritual support, and integrative therapy.
Once treatment is complete, your child is officially a cancer survivor – a moment to celebrate! M Health Fairview Pediatrics continues to support your child and family with a robust survivorship program for the next stage of life. Our Childhood Cancer Survivor Program provides long-term healthcare to survivors of childhood and young adult cancers as well as survivors of blood and marrow transplants, regardless of where cancer treatment was received.
Our Child Family Life Services team partners with cancer patients and families to help them understand, navigate, and cope with their hospitalization, healthcare experiences, illness, and stressful life events. Our Child Family Life Services team’s main goal is to make each healthcare encounter a positive experience for patients and their family, so they are empowered moving forward.
Our pediatric cancer care services are located within M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, which is designed to be a “home away from home” for our patients and features many amenities, special spaces, and events.
If you are a physician or care provider seeking to refer a patient for pediatric cancer care, you can refer by phone at 855-486-7226 or by fax at 612-676-6416.
Awards and Recognition
Cancer Care Stories
