A Devastating Diagnosis
The American Cancer Society estimates that 15,190 children and adolescents will be diagnosed with cancer in 2023. In the same year, an estimated 1,590 will die from the disease.
Despite major treatment advances over the past five decades, cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among both children and adolescents. In fact, it is responsible for more child and adolescent deaths than all other diseases combined. Yet only 3.25% of National Cancer Institute research funding is allocated specifically to pediatric cancers.
At Phoenix Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD), we're working to change that. It won’t be easy, but we’re committed to reaching the day when no family ever loses a child to cancer.
Find out what Phoenix Children's is doing in cellular therapy, a groundbreaking new approach to treating cancer.
Important Work Done at CCBD in 2022:
5.3k+
patients treated
180+
clinical trials
385
newly diagnosed cancer patients
300
patients participating in clinical trials
A Sanctuary of Hope
As Arizona's largest pediatric cancer program, CCBD treats the majority of the state's young cancer patients. It’s our mission to ensure that they get the best care from the moment of diagnosis to the completion of treatment and beyond.
Led by world-renowned pediatric cancer researcher Mario Otto, MD, PhD, CCBD is at the forefront of pediatric oncology—a sanctuary of hope where expert clinicians provide compassionate care to children and families, and where trailblazing researchers are advancing the next generation of lifesaving therapies and technologies.
World-class patient care
CCBD treats thousands of patients each year, providing comprehensive, personalized care to every child. CCBD is made up of oncology, hematology, histiocytosis and research.
State-of-the-art treatments
Phoenix Children’s was one of the first U.S. institutions approved to treat children using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, a treatment in which a patient’s T cells—a type of immune system cell—are altered in the lab so they will attack cancer cells.
Lifesaving breakthroughs
Alexander Ngwube, MD, is leading research aimed at reducing the acute myeloid leukemia relapse rate. Roberta Adams, MD, led the development of a protocol for an experimental gene therapy that will drastically improve outcomes of bone marrow transplant.
Stories of Hope



CCBD Advisory Board
Mike DeSoto
COO & VP, MITER Brands
Lewis “Buzz” David Ghiz
Former President, Paramount Pool & Spa Systems
Erin Lewin
Former Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Avnet
Kris Pickel
Primetime Anchor, KPHO CBS 5
David Romanelli
Author
Aaron Stead
Chief Revenue Officer, Mindbody
Doug Tymins
President and CEO, AIG, New York
Your gift helps the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders provide world-class patient care, offer state-of-the-art therapies, and conduct research that leads to lifesaving breakthroughs.