Brain Tumors
Consultations & Second Opinion Inquiries
To arrange a new patient appointment or second opinion consultation, please contact the Pediatric Brian Tumor New Patient Coordinator at (617) 632-2680 or via email at pedibraintumor@dfci.harvard.edu. You may also reach us through our toll-free number, (888)PEDI-ONC (888-733-4662).
If you reside outside of the United States, you must first contact Children's Hospital Boston's International Center, which facilitates the medical review of patient records and appointment scheduling, at (617) 355-5209.
To help us conduct a precise evaluation, it is important you provide us with a full summary of your child's initial diagnosis. This includes any laboratory or pathology reports, any X-ray or MRI radiographic images, as well as a list of any previous treatments they may have received. Please have as much of the following information gathered as possible when you call to arrange your second opinion.
Patient summary:
- Name
- Address
- Parent or guardian contact information
- Insurance information
Complete clinical summary, which includes:
- Physician's name and contact information
- Diagnosis, or working diagnosis, and list of presenting symptoms
- All relevant MRI/CT scan studies with reports (CD format is preferred). Usually the study at the time of diagnosis or relapse, pre- and post-operative studies, and the two most recent studies are sufficient.
- Pathology slides and reports
- Operative note(s), if surgery was performed
- Radiation therapeutic summary, if radiation was delivered
- Copy of protocol, if chemotherapy was administered
- Comprehensive list of previous chemotherapeutic agents, with dates and doses, if chemotherapy was administered
After calling our New Patient Coordinator, you should send or have these sent as soon as possible to:
Pediatric Brain Tumor ProgramDana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney Street, SW331
Boston, MA 02115
We recommend you ship the materials with some sort of tracking capability to ensure proper delivery.
Upon receiving a complete record of your child's history, we will review all data at our weekly multidisciplinary Neuro-Oncology Conference. After our discussion, we will call both you and your child's physician to verbally share our recommendations. At that time we will schedule an appointment should you wish to meet our team.
We can expedite services for urgent attention on a case-by-case basis. For urgent care, you may call or visit the Emergency Room at Children's. The phone number is (617) 355-6637.
If you already know or collaborate with one of our specialists, we encourage you to call that physician directly.
