16 hours Ago By Kyle McClenagan
Two of the Houston area's largest hospitals — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children's Hospital — have announced they will soon be entering a joint venture to combat childhood cancer. Beginning in 2026, the two hospital systems will be employing their combined pediatric resources to build a collaborative pediatric cancer center. The plan was approved this week by both the UT Board of Regents and the Texas Children's Board of Trustees.
"The scope and scale of our combined effort will build the world's preeminent pediatric cancer center, addressing the growing need for excellent patient care and greatly benefiting children with cancer through increased access to care and to clinical trials," Peter WT Pisters, president of MD Anderson, said in the announcement. "MD Anderson and Texas Children's offer unique strengths that when brought together will accelerate improved outcomes for patients in Texas and around the world." Although the details have not yet been finalized, MD Anderson said the collaborative would combine the two institutions' patient populations to "increase pediatric cancer clinical trials.
" This is aimed at accelerating the discovery and enhancement of cancer treatments. According to MD Anderson, Texas has one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in the U.S.
and also ranks second for the most pediatric cancer cases. "This groundbreaking collaboration between two proven leaders in pediatric and cancer care marks the beginning of a new era in the fight against childhood cancer," Debra F. Sukin, president and chief executive officer of Texas Children's, said in a statement.
"The combined force of our two iconic programs will be led with the nation's top talent — from clinicians and researchers to nurses and administrative professionals — each committed to realizing the shared mission of eradicating pediatric cancer.".
