2022 at CCBD
5.3k+
unique 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
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top pediatric cancer centers, CCBD treats thousands of patients each year, providing comprehensive, personalized care to every child.
State-of-the-art treatments
Phoenix Children’s is one of the few 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
In 2022, Roberta Adams, MD, CCBD's chair of clinical operations, led the development of a protocol for an experimental gene therapy that will drastically improve outcomes and decrease complications of bone marrow transplant.
- “We have ambitious plans to expand our treatment options to include world-class cancer immunotherapy and cellular therapy, targeted radiotherapy and precision medicine to maximize cure rates while minimizing side effects.”Mario Otto, MD, PhDDirector, Phoenix Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; Doris S. Norton Endowed Chair in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation
Innovating to Save Lives
At CCBD, we're advancing translational research that can change the lives of children now and in the future. Our 180+ clinical trials include Phase I and II studies of medications to treat acute leukemias, solid tumors, lymphomas, hemophilia and sickle cell disease.

Though remission rates for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are between 85% and 90%, relapse is all too common: AML returns in about 30% to 40% of children. Phoenix Children’s hematologist-oncologist Alexander Ngwube, MD, is leading a clinical trial of an innovative treatment aimed at reducing the AML relapse rate.

In 2017, CCBD became one of the few pediatric oncology programs in the nation approved to administer chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, or CAR-T cell therapy, to children with relapsed or treatment-resistant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The next step? Building an on-site cellular therapy lab.
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.