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Cancer

Precision Cancer Medicine Program

At UCSF, we believe that cancer therapy works best when it's tailored to the patient. Our Pediatric Precision Cancer Medicine Program makes this personalized care possible for children, teens and young adults with any kind of cancer, including those whose cancers are rare, high-risk or resistant to standard therapies.

Our team uses cutting-edge tools, such as the UCSF500 Cancer Gene Panel, to identify the genetic signatures of a patient's disease. These findings can help us diagnose cancers more precisely. They also allow us to design novel, personalized treatment plans, with the goal of making therapies work better while also causing fewer side effects. Precision oncologists work alongside other UCSF specialists to ensure that all patients receive high-quality care that's effective and compassionate.

UCSF patients also benefit from our commitment to cancer research. We're the only hospital in Northern California that's a member of the National Cancer Institute's Children's Oncology Group Phase 1/Pilot Consortium – a small group of leading institutions tasked with developing new therapies for pediatric cancers. Many of our physicians are leaders in national research groups dedicated to pediatric cancers, including leukemia, neuroblastoma and pediatric brain tumors. Patients in our Precision Cancer Medicine Program have access to new treatments that are not widely available or that are still being tested in clinical trials.

Many of the precision cancer services we provide are not readily available at other hospitals, and some are offered only at UCSF. But patients who don't live near the Bay Area can still benefit from our expertise: We work with oncologists throughout the United States and world to test tumor samples and guide treatments that can be administered by the patient's local care team.

Request Appointment

To schedule an appointment with the Pediatric Precision Cancer Medicine Program, please give us a call at (415) 476-3831.

Please note that many insurance plans require a referral from your child's primary care physician before you schedule a visit at UCSF. We ask that you contact your insurance carrier to check if you need an authorization before your appointment. If a referral is required, please ask your child's primary care physician to fax a referral form and any applicable medical records to the UCSF Pediatric Access Center at (415) 353-4485.

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    • Best in Northern California for cancer care

    • Ranked among the nation's best in 10 specialties

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    What to Bring

    • Photo I.D.
    • Health insurance card
    • Insurance authorization, if required
    • Doctor's referral, if required
    • Recent test results related to your child's condition
    • List of medications, including dosages, plus any your child is allergic to
    • List of questions you may have
    • Device or paper for taking notes

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