Cancer Care
The Maine Children's Cancer Program (MCCP), the pediatric cancer program of The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH), provides the state’s most comprehensive diagnostic and treatment resources for children diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders. MCCP has a solid track record of patient outcomes that are on a par with national benchmarks. With Board certified, fellowship-trained pediatric hematology/oncology physicians, a nurse practitioner, and a team of specialized nurses (most of whom have achieved certification as Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurses), social workers and research associates (the majority certified by the Society of Clinical Research Associates, or SoCRA), the MCCP offers a wealth of services to young patients and their families in a caring and close-to-home setting.
We have the availability of leading-edge diagnostic resources including state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging technology and a depth and breadth of pediatric cancer expertise not found anywhere else in the state of Maine or northern New England. Because of MCCP’s membership in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), we have access to the same innovative therapies available at the world’s leading children’s cancer hospitals.
Support Resources
MCCP’S commitment to family centered care is demonstrated by a full complement of support resources for parents and siblings, as well as our young patients.
- Guidance and support from three pediatric-oncology social workers, specially trained to address the psychosocial needs of all family members throughout the child’s cancer journey.
- Convenient access to the Ronald McDonald House, a special place to call home for families whose children are hospitalized or receiving medical treatment in the Portland area. The House is conveniently located just four blocks from BBCH.
- The MaineHealth Community Learning Resource Center (LRC), located in the same building as the MCCP, offers a wealth of health education programs, classes and seminars. It has an extensive library of books, periodicals and videos on a wide variety of healthcare topics. Computers with internet access are available, and professional health educators are always present to assist in obtaining health information.
We provide the most advanced technology and techniques for the care and treatment of young cancer patients for medical oncology, surgical oncology, and radiation therapy. We offer a full range of diagnostic resources available at BBCH, including:
- State-of-the-art diagnostic imaging technology including PET/CT and MR spectroscopy, and a world-class team of radiologists to read and interpret results.
- A full-range of specialized anatomic and clinical pathology services, including Maine’s only hospital-based, on-site molecular diagnostics lab; this capability not only aids in early cancer detection and diagnosis, but also enables more targeted and personalized cancer treatments.
- Maine Medical Center’s 10-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) that provides tertiary referral and advanced care from a full team of intensivists, subspecialists, and critical care nurses.
- The most current interventions, agents, and methods of pain management to help improve each child's care and quality of life.
The team at the MCCP treats all types of childhood cancers, including:
- Leukemia, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), also called acute myeloid leukemia
- Brain tumors
- Sarcoma (cancerous tumors involving the bones and soft tissues)
- Lymphoma, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Retinoblastoma (a malignant tumor of the retina)
- Germ cell tumors
- Neuroblastoma