PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY IN SLOVENIA

Slovenia, a new country and formerly a part of Yugoslavia, has had its Childrens Hospital in Ljubljana since 1865. This became a part of the University Hospital in 1945, and in, the early 1960s the Department o f Pediatric Hematology-Oncology was established. The Oncological Insti tute of Slovenia was established in 1938 and has developed into a mode rn facility for comprehensive cancer care, research, and teaching. In close cooperation, established in the 196Os, a team from these two ins titutions. takes care of the approximately GO children par year who de velop cancer in Slovenia. Consisting of pediatricians, radiation oncol ogists, pathologists, cytologists, surgeons, and other ad hoc speciali sts, the team meets at least twice weekly to plan treatment, follow th e patients, discuss the results, and teach. All patients are subject t o regular follow-up indefinitely. A separate team has been formed to s tudy the late effects of cancer treatment on survivors, who by now are mostly adults.