Groups: Pact to help children with cancer

An agreement between Cure 4 The Kids Foundation and Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada ensures that families of children with cancer benefit from a more consolidated system for pediatric cancer treatment, executives with both organizations say.

The agreement, announced Thursday, means that clinical trials and research programs for children with pediatric cancer and rare blood disorders will be centralized, removing some logistical challenges for families already overburdened by a life-threatening disease.

It also means that for-profit Comprehensive Cancer Centers, which has offered pediatric cancer treatment for about a decade, has decided to focus solely on adult cancer treatment.

James R. Kilber, executive director of Comprehensive, said discussions with leaders of the nonprofit Cure 4 The Kids convinced both groups that bringing the focus on cancer treatment into one nonprofit local clinic could benefit children more both in terms of grant funding and multidisciplinary treatment options.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve done with children, but this agreement can benefit children even more,” he said.

Drs. Alexandra Walsh and Nik F. Abdul Rashid now move their practices from Comprehensive to Cure 4 The Kids, where they will see patients at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada Clinic at 3121 S. Maryland Parkway. They join Dr. Jonathan Bernstein and Dr. Alan Ikeda — all are affiliated with the Children’s Oncology Group, which is responsible for oversight on all clinical trials involving pediatric patients in the United States.

“It just makes sense to have the region’s premier pediatric hematology oncology physicians under one roof,” Cure 4 The Kids Foundation Executive Director Annette Logan said.

Since its founding by Bernstein in 2007, the nonprofit Cure 4 The Kids Foundation has provided around $7 million in medical care for those who could not afford it.

Reporter Paul Harasim can be reached at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908.