Sickle Cell Disease

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VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center offers the full continuum of care for sickle cell disease - from prevention and detection to treatment and survivorship.

Using the most advanced technology, treatment options and clinical trials, our team offers a wide scope of care for those diagnosed or at high risk of sickle cell disease. Our care is delivered compassionately, with respect, personal attention and a focus on the whole person - not just the disease.

Your partner in sickle cell disease care

Whether you are faced with a diagnosis of sickle cell disease, need help evaluating and reducing your risk for sickle cell disease or are being screened for early detection of sickle cell disease, Massey is here to help.

We provide a level of expertise found only at the top 4 percent of cancer centers across the country designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Massey is the only center in the Richmond area and one of two in Virginia designated by the NCI to lead and shape America’s cancer research efforts.

Massey’s care is provided through VCU Health at VCU Medical Center, an award-winning hospital.

Clinical trials

Treatments in clinical trials may be more effective or have fewer side effects than the treatments that are currently available.

Blood cancer treatment team

Our specialists from many different disciplines work together in the area’s largest and most comprehensive multidisciplinary teams.

Resources & support services

Massey offers a number of patient support services to address educational, emotional, spiritual and social service needs.

Why choose VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center for your sickle cell disease care

The blood cancer care team at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center consists of national leaders in cancer care and research from multiple disciplines who work together to provide the highest-quality diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers. By pooling their expertise, our doctors are able to make the best decisions and give you the most comprehensive advice and information.

Discover the 5 Cs that make us the right choice for your blood cancer health care. Choose Massey for your blood cancer care because we are:

Cutting-edge

Our doctors have unparalleled knowledge and experience in diagnosing and treating all types of hematologic malignancies (cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma that arise from blood cells or bone marrow). As sub-specialists in blood cancers, they are specifically trained in and dedicated to the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

Our doctors use the latest technology and the most advanced therapies to increase the chances of a cure. Many of these therapies were discovered and developed right here at Massey, where our doctors collaborate closely with our research scientists to bring new research breakthroughs to our patients in the form of clinical trials.

With one of the largest menus of cancer clinical trials in Virginia, we offer patients expanded treatment options and new hope every day. A pioneer of various treatments, Massey is internationally recognized for designing novel combinations of chemotherapies and targeted agents for blood cancers.Many of our doctors are also research scientists in their own right, continually investigating new treatment options and exploring ways to improve the patient care experience. As Massey is part of an academic medical center, our doctors are also professors, educating and training oncologists and other health care professionals. This constant study and teaching of blood cancers helps make our doctors the leading experts in the field.

Comprehensive

Massey offers a full range of treatment options and scope of care, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, recovery and survivorship.

Precise diagnosis
Having the right diagnosis is essential to deciding the best course of treatment. Our radiologists use advanced imaging to accurately detect cancer, and our pathologists utilize the latest methods to determine a precise diagnosis and staging. New technology enables our pathologists to predict a cancer's aggressiveness or its response to certain forms of therapy, as well as to identify genetic abnormalities in some cancers, which can then direct the treatment plan.

Full range of treatment options and clinical trials
Treatment for hematologic malignancies may involve chemotherapy, biotherapy such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Massey offers all of these treatment options and leads in the development of novel chemotherapy combinations and innovative radiation therapies. Also, Massey is Richmond’s only and Virginia’s largest and most comprehensive bone marrow transplant (BMT) provider and the only one in the state for children with cancer. A Blue Distinction® Center in recognition of the program’s depth of experience and good patient outcomes, Massey’s BMT program allows patients to receive any available transplant source and option, including related and unrelated bone marrow and stem cell transplants as well as umbilical cord blood transplants.

Massey also offers a wide range of clinical trials for both newly diagnosed and relapsed patients – many trials that are not found elsewhere. Our trials test new anti-cancer therapies and ways to minimize common cancer-related symptoms. These trials provide access to investigational agents and innovative new therapies that may help increase the chance for successful treatment.

Comprehensive support services
At Massey, we believe that treating the whole person, not just the disease, is the best way to care for patients and family members coping with cancer. We take a holistic approach to address not just your medical and physical needs, but also your psychological, emotional and social needs. We offer comprehensive cancer support services to care for you throughout your cancer journey that range from helping minimize symptoms and side effects to helping cope with the emotional and psychological effects of cancer. These services include our international award-winning palliative care; one of the nation’s longest-running cancer rehabilitation programs with physical and occupational therapy especially geared for cancer patients; psychologists; spiritual counseling; licensed social workers and patient navigators; board-certified genetic counselors in Richmond’s only Familial Cancer Clinic; financial, legal, lodging and transportation assistance for patients in need; nutritionists; in-hospital cancer pharmacy services; health and cancer education libraries and programs; cancer support groups; and wig salons that provide free hats, scarves and wigs as well as private head-wear consultation services. We also offer a range of complementary therapies, including acupressure, art therapy, music therapy, pet therapy and tobacco cessation counseling. Complementary therapies are not substitutes for medical care but are used together with medical treatments to help patients alleviate stress and anxiety, reduce pain, manage symptoms and promote a feeling of well-being. Learn more about our patient resources and integrative medicine.

Collaborative

Cancer care generally requires multiple forms of therapy and various specialized doctors. At Massey, our specialists collaborate in multidisciplinary teams to offer one-stop consultations and highly coordinated, unified care. Our blood cancer team works together to guide each patient through every stage of care. Massey pioneered the region’s multidisciplinary approach to cancer care, which combines the expertise of many doctors. This approach ensures that patients who need several different therapies will receive the ideal combination and sequence of treatment.

Compassionate

Through respectful, attentive and compassionate care, Massey’s cancer care team builds healing relationships with patients that help reduce suffering and death from cancer.

Customized

Recognizing that each patient is unique and each type of cancer is different, Massey provides treatment strategies and care plans tailored and individualized to each patient. The best treatment for one patient may not be right for another, so you can rest assured that the treatment recommended at Massey will be the best one for you.

Becoming a Patient

Our award-winning team at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is transforming how cancers are prevented, detected, treated and cured, and it is our pleasure to care for you and your loved ones. Cancer is complex and its care can be complicated, so we want to make your experience as our patient as simple and positive as possible.