Background
Pinkel, Donald Paul was born on September 7, 1926 in Buffalo. Son of Lawrence William and Ann (Richardson) Pinkel.
Pinkel, Donald Paul was born on September 7, 1926 in Buffalo. Son of Lawrence William and Ann (Richardson) Pinkel.
Bachelor of Science, Canisius College, 1947; Doctor of Medicine, U. Buffalo, 1951.
He has made contributions to cures for several forms of childhood cancer, including leukemia. Pinkel was the first director of Saint Jude Children"s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, serving from 1962 to 1973. He has also authored or co-authored numerous books, chapters in books, and journal articles
Doctor Pinkel and his colleagues at Street Jude, the patron of the hopeless, instituted a treatment program aimed at permanent cure of ALL. Called "Total Therapy," it was based on all the available relevant laboratory and clinical research and experience.
There were four phases: remission induction, remission consolidation or intensification, specific pre-emptive meningeal treatment and continuation chemotherapy for 3 years. Both radiotherapy and instillation of drug directly into spinal fluid were used for meningeal treatment.
This was the first significant cure rate for generalized cancer and for primarily drug treatment of cancer. This four-phase treatment plan is still used today with numerous modifications.
Increases in resources and trained physicians and nurses, better infection control, safer blood transfusion and newer drugs and drug schedules have increased the reported cure rates to 75-85% of treated children with ALL in developed countries.
Better use of drugs both systemically and by instillation into the spinal fluid have replaced the need for radiation therapy to pre-empt meningeal relapse in most children with ALL.
Board of directors Lee County Cooperative Clinic, Mariana, Arkansas, 1972-1974. Served with United States Navy, 1944-1945, served to First lieutenant United States Army, 1954-1955. Member American Society Clinical Oncology, American Pediat.
Society, American Association Cancer Research, Society Experimental Biology and Medicine, American Society Hematology.
Married Marita Donovan, December 26, 1949 (divorced 1981). Children: Rebecca, Nancy, Christopher, Mary, Thomas, Anne, Sara, John, Ruth. Married Cathryn Barbara Howarth, May 16, 1981.
1 child, Michael.