Suzanne L. Wolden, MD, FACR

I have extensive experience treating rare diseases in young people such as sarcomas, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, Wilms’ tumor, lymphoma, and leukemia. Radiation therapy is an extremely powerful tool for these tumors, but young patients are especially sensitive to long-term side effects. I therefore approach each patient as a unique individual, carefully designing a highly customized radiation therapy plan to maximize the benefits of treatment while minimizing side effects. I am a leader in the use of targeted approaches such as proton therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, and intra-operative radiation therapy for pediatric cancers.

In the Brain Tumor Center, I treat all children and teenagers with cancers of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). My clinical research has led to changes in our approach to the treatment of tumors such as medulloblastoma and central nervous system germ cell tumors. We are very mindful of patients’ long-term quality of life and seek to maintain the highest possible survival rates while minimizing the risk of potential long-term treatment complications.

I am involved in numerous clinical trials and oversee large international studies for the Children’s Oncology Group in the areas of soft tissue sarcoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. I am involved with research on the late effects of radiation therapy through my collaboration with the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

I find it very rewarding to work with a team that couples extraordinary experience with compassion to care for patients with cancer. I am optimistic that our ongoing research will lead to higher cure rates as well as improved long-term quality of life for our patients.