pediatric surgery

George Holcomb Jr., MD, clinical professor of Surgery, emeritus, champion of the creation of a children’s hospital at Vanderbilt, and former executive director of Medical Alumni Affairs, died June 28. He was 97.

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that a sirtuin protein has oncogenic properties in neuroblastoma cells — and that blocking it reduces their growth and tumor-like characteristics.

A compound identified at Vanderbilt represents a new lead for treating rare, aggressive childhood cancers called Ewing sarcomas.

An inhibitor of cell metabolism may be a good therapeutic target for neuroblastoma, which accounts for about 15 percent of pediatric cancer-related deaths.

The sphere-forming frequency of neuroblastoma cells is a measure of their proliferative capacity and could help guide treatment strategies for neuroblastoma.

Many patients having surgeries at Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are experiencing better recoveries, with less opioids for pain, fewer post-surgery complications and shorter hospital stays due to the work of a medical team that has transformed the way surgeries are handled.

When Kendra Kaufman walked into to a recent follow-up appointment with surgeon Dai Chung, M.D., the only help she needed to steady her steps came from ankle-foot-orthotics.