Cancer Services

U.S. News & World Report ranking for CancerEach year, approximately 70 children who have been newly-diagnosed with cancer seek treatment in The Costas Center at SSM Health Cardinals Glennon Children’s Hospital. Our expert clinicians are dedicated to the best care, the best education and the best research to heal children today and discover new cures and advanced treatments for the future.

Our skilled professionals provide multi-disciplinary care for a wide variety of cancers and blood-related conditions, including sickle-cell anemia, clotting disorders, leukemia and lymphoma, bone and soft tissue cancers, brain and spinal cord tumors and much more.

The Costas Center offers inpatient and outpatient services in a healing environment designed specifically with children and families in mind. The outpatient center offers a convenient location for children to receive infusions, chemotherapy or other treatments without being admitted to the hospital, thereby minimizing disruptions to their daily lives.

For children in need of more intensive services, we also offer a full-service, newly-renovated Inpatient Cancer Unit which features:

  • 18 expanded and updated treatment rooms, complete with individual bathroom and shower facilities and comfortable sleeper sofas so that parents may spend the night at their child’s bedside.
  • A new four-bed Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology for the safest care.
  • An expanded and updated playroom, where children can take a break from their treatments to play.
  • A new family lounge, equipped with a kitchenette and seating, television and a computer.
  • Newly updated nursing stations with more workstations, improving staff efficiency and patient safety. A private, multi-purpose room that can be used for family gatherings, such as birthday parties, or for conferences with a child’s care team.
  • Three new reading nooks where families can go to read, pray or just relax.

Numerous research studies have shown a link between a healing environment and successful patient outcomes. Despite the need for strict infection prevention, efficiency and patient safety, the child-friendly spaces in The Costas Center enable us to provide compassionate, family-centered and technologically-advanced care.

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How Your Support Will Help

By supporting inpatient and outpatient cancer services in The Costas Center, you are helping us make a difference in the lives of children in the following ways:

  • Operational Support. Some of our patients are seen by multiple specialists in addition to their oncologist. Dedicated nurses work with all of a child’s specialists to make follow-up care convenient, informed and accessible for families.
  • Ongoing Research. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon is a member of many of the nation’s most prestigious cancer research groups, enabling our skilled physicians to provide the very latest in treatments, protocols and clinical trials.
  • Technology Upgrades. Each year, equipment becomes outdated or replaceable with a newer model. Your support allows us to stay at the forefront of technology for pediatric cancer treatment.
  • Program Enhancements. To complement current treatment options, plans are underway to start a Cellular Therapy program. Cellular Therapy is a protocol that uses a patient’s own immune cells to treat cancer. A potential collaboration between SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and Saint Louis University Hospital, this program will offer treatments that have shown remarkable results in children with certain types of cancer.
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