Pediatric Cancer Care
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Nothing prepares you for finding out your child has cancer. You’re scared and not sure what to do next. You have a lot of questions, like where to go for treatment and how to talk with your child about having cancer.
At UVA Health Children’s, you'll find a team of pediatric cancer specialists with both compassion and expertise. We're here for you and your child every step of the way. We'll help you get the answers you need to keep going, as a parent. Child-centered attention and care will help your child feel supported and be themselves.
Why UVA Health Children's for Pediatric Cancer
You’ll receive care at the #1 children’s hospital in Virginia. And you'll benefit from Virginia's first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. That means we offer the most advanced cancer treatments, right-sized for kids. Our fellowship-trained doctors offer treatment targeted to the special needs of children and teens.
Cancers We Treat
We offer treatment for many cancers. These are just a few of the cancers we commonly see.
- Adrenocortical Carcinoma
- Ependymoma
- Optic Nerve Glioma
- Leukemia
- Brain Tumors
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
- Liver Cancer
- Lymphoma
- Germ Cell Tumors
- Neuroblastoma
- Rhadomyosarcoma
- Wilms Tumor
- Ewing's Sarcoma
Finding the Best Treatment for Your Child’s Cancer
UVA Health Children’s offers the latest treatments for pediatric cancer. We modify and customize interventions for each child. Your child will get access to advanced, personalized treatments, including:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Immunotherapy
- CAR T-cell therapy
Children with cancer often develop other medical problems. Our pediatric cancer specialists work closely with other specialists to give your child the highest level of care.
Accessing the Latest Treatments
Our clinical trials give your child access to medications and treatments not yet available to the public.
We took part in the National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trials for CAR T-cell therapy. Our research helped develop the treatment and find side effects.
CAR T-cell therapy is now FDA-approved to treat pediatric leukemia. Because of our research, our pediatric cancer specialists have special training to watch for side effects and treat them right away.
We continue to study more ways CAR T-cell therapy can treat pediatric cancer.
Dedicated to Our Patients
Hear our pediatric cancer experts share how they help families facing a cancer diagnosis. From building trust through transparency to offering support at every stage, our team is dedicated to their patients.
Daniel "Trey" Lee, MD: Here at UVA Children's, we pride ourselves on providing the best possible care for your child with cancer.
Margaret Sennett, PNP: We involve the families, the parents in all of the decision-making, and to literally and figuratively hold their hand through this journey.
Brian Belyea, MD: We believe in being completely transparent. We know that having our patients and families involved in all the decisions will ultimately help them feel most comfortable and help build a trusting relationship that we can move forward together with.
Colleen Druzgal, MD: When you're interacting with a child who has cancer, you really are interacting with the whole family. You're interacting with parents to try to explain, again, lots of complicated medications and a treatment plan at a time when things can be really uncertain and scary for them.
Sara Gunnoe, PA-C: We have many different physicians with a variety of specializations, as well as support staff who are knowledgeable in their area, who are here to support patients and their families through all aspects of oncology care.
Mike Engel, MD: We take a very holistic and multidisciplinary approach to caring for patients. Our patients generally need more than just the medicines that we administer or the procedures that we perform. They also need help incorporating this life-changing diagnosis into their life.
Colleen Druzgal, MD: I think our nurses are amazing people who spend time in some of the most difficult situations.
Evelyn Joran-Thiel, PNP: Our nurse practitioner team is a very cohesive team. Among us, we have about 60 or 70 years of experience in pediatric oncology, and we work very well with each other to coordinate care for our patients.
Margaret Sennett, PNP: We become part of their family. They become part of our Hem/Onc family. I love the kids. The kids are so fun. Every room you walk into, you walk back out laughing and with a smile because the kids are so entertaining.
Daniel "Trey" Lee, MD: This whole team comes together to focus in on that one child at a time to try to understand, how can we improve their journey through their cancer diagnosis and treatment? And I think that's really the power of our group in treating children with cancer.
Mike Engel, MD: Because ultimately, we just want every kid to survive their disease and go on and live a happy, healthy life.
Pediatric Cancer Stories & Resources
06/30/2025
When Your 5-Year Old Has ALL Leukemia
One day her daughter had high fevers. The next day, she had cancer. See what happens next for this little girl with ALL leukemia.
09/24/2024
Early Childhood Cancer Signs: When To Worry
Do you know the early warning signs of childhood cancer? Learn what to look for and when to take your child to the doctor.
09/04/2024
A Teen’s Unexplained Pain Was Unrelenting. So Was the Effort to Find the Source: Cancer
At age 16, Madeline's unexplained pain turned out to be cancer. Her parents were unrelenting in their quest for a cure.
09/28/2023
6 Ways One Local Family Learned to Navigate Childhood Cancer
After over a year and a half of treatment, this family has learned how to adapt and navigate childhood cancer. Here are 6 things they'd like to share.
01/25/2023
We Thought He Had COVID. He Had Cancer. A Dad Reflects on His Child’s Cancer Diagnosis
A child's cancer diagnosis changes everything. A Charlottesville, VA, dad reflects on the difficult year since his son's diagnosis with lymphoma.
09/29/2022
When Your Child Has Cancer: 10 Ways to Navigate the Next Few Years
When you first learn your child has cancer, you're filled with questions and not sure what's next. Read this advice from a parent who's been there.
09/06/2022
When Chemo Doesn’t Work: How CAR T-Cell Therapy Made Colin’s Cancer Vanish
8-year-old Colin's leukemia returned a year after he finished chemo. Learn how this therapy helped him regain his childhood.
05/19/2022
Q&A: Parents of a Childhood Cancer Survivor Share Words of Wisdom
Becoming the parents of a child cancer survivor wasn’t an easy road. Krissy and Rob share what they learned and wished they’d known at the start.