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On The Mark On the Mark is published three-times-a-year by the CHOC Foundation. It features patient highlights, physician spotlights, news about major gifts and upcoming events, construction updates, and fundraising stories and is mailed to donors who support CHOC with a gift of $50 and more. |
Physician Spotlight:
With a warm smile and a calm demeanor, Ivan Kirov, MD, a pediatric oncologist at CHOC, gives hope and reassurance to families and children coping with some of the most aggressive types of cancer.
Dr. Kirov, who is from Bulgaria, is a fourth-generation physician. His great grandfather began the family tradition by becoming a doctor in 1868, and Dr. Kirov’s son will soon follow in his footsteps with a PhD in neuroscience.
In addition to his role as a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Kirov is director of the Recurrent and Refractory Cancer Program—the only program of its kind in the country—and the Palliative Care Program at the CHOC Cancer Institute.
According to Dr. Kirov, “these programs help children whose cancer has returned. When cancer is first diagnosed, the chances for a cure are high. When it comes back, the likelihood of survival drops significantly.”
Dr. Kirov adds, “out of approximately 960 oncology patients we are treating at CHOC, 40 have recurrent cancer. Many of these children are in Phase I clinical trials and are being cared for by a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, psychologists, and social workers.”
“Pediatric oncology is one of the most promising and fast developing fields in pediatrics. The relationships you develop are long-term; you become very close to the families. I share in their success, difficulties, and their pain; but, I love helping kids, and I enjoy being part of their lives,” Dr. Kirov says.
Children's Hospital of Orange County | 
University of California, Irvine