Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center is the most advanced center in Russia in the area of pediatric hematology/oncology and immunology with scientific, clinical and educational expertise. Our main goal is to provide the best care for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer, hematological non-malignant disorders and immune deficiencies. Currently, the Center has up-to-date research laboratories, providing molecular diagnostics and other advanced studies.

Clinical division encompasses 470 beds and has modern treatment and diagnostic equipment. Our Center also has a extensive rehabilitation facility outside Moscow city for clinical rehabilitation of cancer patients in remission.

The Center provides educational resources including internship, residency and post doctoral programs as well as disseminating current knowledge to the Russian pediatric hematology/oncology professional community in more than 80 clinical centers throughout the country.

Annually, over 2,000 new patients are admitted, and more than 200 hematopoietic stem cell transplantations and 2,000 surgeries are performed in our Center.

Our vision is that all sick children can be cured.

A Friendly Attitude to Children Is the Basic Philosophy of the Dmitry Rogachev Center

Director General Galina Novichkova spoke at a plenary session of the VI Congress of Cancer Patients held in the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation in Moscow. Her report focused on the history of the Center and its philosophy: a friendly attitude to children and their families.

“Today, the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Service in our country celebrates its 30th birthday. All these years we have been creating an environment where children and their parents would feel comfortable, without experiencing a tough hospital atmosphere. The Dmitry Rogachev Center was constructed the way children wanted to see it. Even the color scheme of the building itself was chosen according to the wishes of the children,” Galina Novichkova added.

The Dmitry Rogachev Center is the largest European center, and one of the world’s largest medical centers of pediatric oncology and hematology. We offer treatment to little patients from all over the Russian Federation with the most difficult diagnoses; such patients require an innovative treatment. The Russkoe Pole Rehabilitation Center (lit., “Russian Field”) is a part of the Center. More than 500 children can be treated and rehabilitated there at the same time. More than 78,000 children have been hospitalized in the Center for the past 10 years.

Moreover, the Dmitry Rogachev Center performs one third of bone marrow transplants in Russia. Since 2012, it has conducted more than 2,000 transplantations. It is an important and necessary treatment for the patients who do not respond to other treatment. The results are incredible: 70 to 90% of the patients recover after transplantation depending on their diagnosis.

“Unfortunately, there is a shortage of transplant beds in Russia. About 40% of the patients who are in need of bone marrow transplantations cannot get it”, Galina Novichkova said.

The Dmitry Rogachev Center is the only medical institution in Russia that provides CAR-T therapy. The therapy is conducted for the patients diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia, who were previously considered to be palliative. This method has not been registered in the Russian Federation yet. It is practiced as a part of a scientific project at the Dmitry Rogachev Center. Since the start of the project, about 100 patients who have got the CAR-T; today, 60% of them are in remission.

A friendly attitude to children and their families is the basis of the philosophy of the Center. The physicians share these principles and values with their colleagues from other regions of Russia.

“We create comfortable conditions for mothers and their children. They need to feel cared for when their condition is severe. A mother always stays with her child. When a child can see the mother, they feel differently. Children can play with their parents in the preoperative room. The mother follows her child to the operating room. After the child has fallen asleep, the mother waits for them in the recovery room. When they wake up after the operation the first thing they see is their mother's face”, the Head of the Center explained.

To protect a child from pain is another important principle of the doctors working at the Dmitry Rogachev Center – they are children’s friends and helpers.

“The quality of anesthesia is our prime concern. 40% of anesthesia in the Center are applied for the procedures that children could probably endure without it, but we don't practice it. During our work trips to the Russian regions, we share our positive experience and explain the benefits of a short-term high-quality anesthesia”, Galina Novichkova added.

The maintenance of the central venous catheter is the only discomfortable procedure that is not performed under anesthesia. Doctors tell children about this procedure in advance; upon completing the procedure they reward children with a toy from the “Box of Courage”. Volunteers and friends of the Center constantly donate toys for this Box.

When children feel better and no longer need a 24-hour infusions or surveillance in the hospital ward, they are transferred to the day unit. They continue to receive intensive treatment and live at a hospitality house where they feel at home. Mother and child forget they are in hospital.

Clinical psychologists of the Center work both with children and their parents. They help children to overcome problems during this difficult period of life take care of them, and protect them. When a child feels better, he or she can have fun in the playing room. There is always a mentor who takes care of them. Performances and workshops are held at the Center. Ballet performances take place in the front yard every summer. We try to do our best so that children not feel isolated.

Children can study in a real school during their long stay at the Center. They celebrate the First Day of School and have a real graduation ceremony.

“We are very proud of our Uchim Znaem (lit., “We Learn and We Know”) School. It works not only in Moscow. Such schools have been opened in more than half of the regions of the country. Without this school, there is no way for us to speak about a friendly attitude to children and their parents”, the Head of the Center told.

When the disease is cured, children go to the Russkoe Pole Rehabilitation Center .

The unique rehabilitation programs for the childhood cancer survivors are created and implemented all over the country.

On behalf of Russian pediatric hematologists/oncologists I am glad to greet you. Our efforts are focused on development of new multi-centre studies and clinical centers, education of young physicians and providing high-level care to our patients.

Our Center, Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology – is one of the largest institutions in the field of cancer, inborn and acquired blood disorders and immune deficiencies. Physicians of more than 38 subspecialties work in the Center and over 200 of them have the PhD degree.

The continuous work of our Center and the Russian pediatric hematology/oncology professional community resulted in improvement of the overall survival from 5-10 % to 80 % during the last 3 decades.

Today we collaborate with the most advanced research and clinical centers worldwide, our employees are the members of the various professional societies (EBMT, SIOP, EHA, SIOP Asia, ESID, etc.). Our strength is the collaboration with other centers and countries. We will be happy to see you in our Center!

Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center Of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology