Good News for Pediatric Oncology Patients

The Joan & Sanford Weil Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital has recently been recognized by the ITCC (The Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer Consortium) as an early phase trial center for children with cancer. Rambam is the second hospital in Israel to receive this prestigious recognition, following Schneider Children's Medical Center, and the only one in the northern region.

The ITCC, based in Europe, is an international organization which has thus far recognized only a handful of medical centers around the world that have distinguished themselves as centers of excellence with outstanding therapeutic and research capabilities. With this recognition, Rambam has become the only hospital in Northern Israel able to offer pediatric cancer patients, unresponsive to conventional treatment, Phase I and II drugs and technologies free of charge as part of newly developed experimental treatments. As a result, the Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital is expected to expand its current circle of patients in the region to include new patients from all over the country.

"The Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Rambam is one of the world leaders in the field of children's oncology and hematology," said Professor Myriam Ben-Arush, director of the Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital at Rambam. "That is why we received this recognition from the ITCC. We will continue to do our best to maintain the excellence that we have achieved and continue to share knowledge, experience, and tools, and to provide the best for our children."