St. Louis Children’s Hospital is proud to have the only comprehensive and multi-disciplinary hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant (BMT) rehabilitation team in Missouri. Our specialized rehabilitation team is comprised of experts in the fields of occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language pathology. Rehabilitation programs are available for both inpatients and outpatients and are based on physician referral and individual client needs.
The treatment of childhood cancer is improving exponentially, with an approximately 70% overall survival rate. The increasing number of survivors has shifted the focus of pediatric oncology research and treatment toward the long-term effects of this disease and its treatment on health status and quality of life for survivors. For this reason, rehabilitation is becoming an increasingly important component of the pediatric oncology treatment plan.
The general focus of this rehabilitation program is the promotion of age-appropriate participation in daily activities, independent mobility, and overall developmental progression. These typical developmental accomplishments can be influenced by the abrupt diagnosis of cancer, the medical treatments it requires, and any long-term complications or side effects. Potential implications for rehabilitation include, but are not limited to:
- Decreased activity tolerance and endurance
- Generalized weakness
- Limited range of motion
- Decreased participation in age-appropriate daily activities
- Decreased mobility
- Pain management
- Neurocognitive deficits
- Sensorimotor deficits
The hematology, oncology and BMT rehabilitation program offers therapy services to children with a variety of diagnoses, including, but not limited to:
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Brain tumors
- Osteosarcoma
- Neuroblastoma
- Other solid tumors
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Hemophilia
- Aplastic Anemia
- All bone marrow transplant participants
Through the hematology, oncology and BMT rehabilitation program, children are offered a variety of services that aim at improving functional independence, developmental progression, and overall quality of life. This level of intervention and care becomes available at the time of diagnosis and continues throughout the patients’ long-term follow-up process in coordination with the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program provides multidisciplinary and comprehensive long-term follow-up care for survivors of childhood cancer through the evaluation/assessment of medical experts, including specialists from occupational, physical and speech therapy.
Program Highlights
- St. Louis Children’s Hospital offers a structured, multidisciplinary pediatric hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant rehabilitation program, with therapists who are expertly trained in the areas of pediatric cancer, bone marrow transplant and other associated disorders.
- We provide high-quality, comprehensive, multidisciplinary care designed to meet the specific needs of each individual patient.
- The rehabilitation program is available throughout the clinical course of the child’s illness and can continue throughout the long-term follow-up period if needed.
- Rehabilitation treatments are provided in a state-of-the-art therapeutic facility with a wide-range of developmentally appropriate equipment and toys.
- Our rehabilitation specialists actively collaborate with other members of the medical and psychosocial teams to coordinate the highest quality patient care and follow-up.
