How to Seek Treatment at St. Jude

We provide the best possible care for our patients.

Mother and father walk with small female child in hallway of hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital makes discoveries that will lead to better treatment for children and young adults around the world. We accomplish this by treating patients through clinical trials. St. Jude freely shares our discoveries with scientists and hospitals worldwide.

Learn more about clinical research at St. Jude.

Patients accepted at St. Jude

Patients accepted at St. Jude must be referred by a physician or other qualified medical professional and must have a disease we treat. We accept most patients based on their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial. Some trials only accept children who have not yet started treatment.

Patients living within 180 miles of Memphis may be accepted regardless of their ability to enroll in a clinical trial.

St. Jude shares discoveries with doctors and scientists worldwide, so your child may have access to appropriate treatment in your local hospital, using St. Jude clinical trials. Please have your care provider contact the St. Jude Physician/Patient Referral Office to inquire.

How patients are accepted

Step 1: Determine patient eligibility
Patient eligibility is based on many factors, including:
- Having a disease we treat
- Being eligible for an open clinical trial
- Being within the age ranges we treat
For most diseases and treatments, St. Jude accepts individuals age 21 or younger at the time of acceptance. Exceptions to this age limit include:
- Children age 18 or younger with:
  
  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and some other forms of childhood leukemia
  
  Non-cancerous blood disorders
  
  Genetic predisposition for cancer
- Children age 25 or younger with:
  
  Certain solid tumors
  
  Certain brain tumors
  
  Surgery
  
  Radiation oncology
Diseases we treat at St. Jude Open clinical trials
Step 2: Contact your child’s care provider for a referral
Contact your child's doctor or other qualified medical professional about a St. Jude referral. We will need standard demographic information to initiate the referral or consultation process. This includes:
- Name and contact information of the care provider making the referral
- Patient's name
- Patient's date of birth
- Patient's address and phone number
- Patient diagnosis and treatment history
Step 3: Follow-up

If a more formal medical record evaluation is requested, other specific information may be required by your physician.

The timeline for patient referral and acceptance may vary depending on whether a trial is open, the time it takes to gather records, the time to process the request, clinic appointments, and other factors.

The St. Jude Affiliate Program

Some patients may be eligible for treatment through one of our 8 regional affiliate clinics. The St. Jude Affiliate Program is a network of clinics, hospitals, and universities that work closely with St. Jude to provide care and treatment closer to a patient’s home.

To be eligible for treatment at an affiliate, your child must live in the area the affiliate serves and must have a condition treated at St. Jude. If the patient lives in that area, they may be accepted regardless of their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial.

Second opinions

Each year, St. Jude faculty provide consultation, advice or second opinions on more than 3,000 cases. We do not generally bring patients to Memphis for consultation unless those patients are likely to be eligible for St. Jude clinical trials. But we work with care providers across the country and around the world who seek opinions on their patients.

Financial considerations

You may be worried about how your child’s treatment costs will be paid. Patients are never turned away from St. Jude because of their inability to pay. All patients accepted for St. Jude treatment get care, whether or not they or their families can pay for it. You will never have to pay for services provided at St. Jude.

Learn about patient financial responsibility at St. Jude.