Levine Cancer Institute Archives - Hyundai Hope On Wheels

2017

Impact Grant

Dr. Joel Kaplan

Charlotte, NC

The most common type of cancer in children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has excellent treatment and cure rates. However, the treatment is not only complicated, but also expensive as traditionally many of the drugs are infused only in the hospital. This is taxing on families; it involves time away from work, not seeing other family members and friends, poor sleep while in the hospital, and significant financial costs. There are now reliable portable pumps that our clinic routinely uses to give chemotherapy and IV fluids to teenagers and adults while they are at home.

We propose providing home therapy with a commonly used hospital regimen involving a 1-day infusion of chemotherapy (high-dose methotrexate) and then 2 to 3 days of IV fluids. Patients would still need to visit the clinic once per day, but will not be admitted to the hospital as in the past. In order to validate this treatment method in the cancer community and prove that it is safe and better for families, we need to hire a research nurse to collect data on side effects, efficacy, caregiver burden, money saved (by family and hospital), and quality of life.

If our study is successful there will be a lot of happy families sleeping in their own beds, driving to clinic, and not spending 4-5 days in the hospital to get chemotherapy. We hope to save taxpayer money (less Medicaid payments for hospitalization), lower costs for families, and most importantly, provide a more convenient lifestyle for the patient families (allow parents to be attend work, hire less baby sitters, and enjoy the comforts of their home, friends, and support groups).

This study will also show that Levine Children’s Hospital is committed to family centered care with the best possible medical outcomes, and that Hyundai Hope on Wheels made an effective leukemia treatment much easier, more convenient, and less expensive for all parties.