Joseph Torkildson,MD, MBA
Director, Neuro-Oncology Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Residency: Naval Hospital Oakland
Fellowship: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Board Certification: Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Language(s): English
News Room
Physician profile
Summary
Joseph Torkildson, MD, is an expert in neuro-oncology, the treatment of central nervous system malignancies. He diagnoses and treats children with benign and malignant brain and spinal cord tumors. One of his major interests is identifying new treatment methods that can improve survival rates while reducing long-term complications often associated with current therapies. For example, he recently began collaborating with the Head Start Consortium: it’s conducting clinical studies to see if aggressive chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation can replace radiation therapy in the treatment of malignant brain tumors in children.
Compelling Fact
Brain cancer and tumors are among the most common types of childhood cancers. Nearly one fourth of brain tumors in children are primitive neuroectodermal tumors. When these tumors arise in the cerebellum, they are called medulloblastomas. About 15 percent of childhood brain tumors are medulloblastomas, which are fast-growing tumors that spread along the spinal cord and the membranes that envelop the central nervous system.
Sources: American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org
Expertise
- Diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant brain and spinal cord tumors in children
- Diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders and cancer in children
- Strategies to minimize the long-term consequences of cancer treatment, for example, using stem cell transplantation to reduce or lower radiation doses used to treat cancer in children
- Long-term follow-up of childhood cancer survivors
- Pediatric palliative and end-of-life care
Professional and Personal background
You can reach this physician by contacting Media Relations.
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