News & Spotlights
Calypso Beacon Treatments Well Under Way
The Calypso® 4D Localization System™, GPS for the Body®, was commissioned for use in our clinic in May, 2008 for prostate cancer treatments. Using implanted sensors, this system accurately and continuously pinpoints the location of tumors in real-time while the radiation therapy is being delivered. We are the first clinic in the Research Triangle area to use this innovative system -- in fact, UNC has the most extensive experience in the Triangle using Calypso for rapid fractionation with real-time imaging.
Read more about Prostate Motion During Treatment [MS Word]→
Read more from Calypso Medical→
CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery
The CyberKnife® System is the world's first and only commercially available intelligent robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body. The CyberKnife’s flexible robotic arm provides unparalleled access to previously unreachable tumors with submillimeter accuracy. CyberKnife is noninvasive, so doctors can treat multiple tumors without making a single incision.
Read more→
Dr. Joel Tepper awarded ASTRO Gold Medal
Dr. Joel Tepper, M.D., FASTRO, has been chosen to receive the 2008 Gold Medal of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). The Gold Medal, ASTRO's highest honor, is bestowed on revered members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of radiation oncology.
“It seems particularly fitting that we recognize these two leaders in the field of radiation oncology and
former leaders of ASTRO as part of our 50th anniversary celebration,” said Louis Harrison, M.D., chairman of
ASTRO’s Board of Directors and a radiation oncologist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. “Both
of these leaders have served as role models to me and I will take great personal pride in being able to present
them with their medals.
Read more→
Drs. Marks, Rosenman, Tepper and Varia Voted "Best Doctors in North Carolina, 2008"
BusinessNC.com reports that four UNC physicians from the Department of Radiation Oncology made the list:
"Best Doctors, which polls physicians nationwide, received record responses for the 2008-09 list. Doctors are asked whom they would choose if they or a member of their family needed a specialist. Fewer than 5% of North Carolina's 29,000 licensed physicians made the list."
Read more→
Dr. Elaine Zeman receives ARRO Teaching Award
Dr. Elaine Zeman, Associate Professor in the Cancer Biology Division, was the recipient of the 2007-2008 Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Teacher of the Year Award, for excellence in teaching and enthusiastic support of residency training.
Dr. Sha Chang Elected SEAAPM Chapter President; awarded Patent
Dr. Sha Chang, Associate Professor and the Chief of Physics & Computing Division, was elected President-Elect of the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (SEAAPM), which covers North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
Read more→
Dr. Sha Chang and co-inventor Dr. Otto Zhou were awarded Patent US#7220971 "Multi-pixel electron microbeam irradiator systems and methods for selectively irradiating predetermined locations".
Read more→
Best Posters at UNC Lineberger Retreat
Dr. Jim Apisarnthanarax, a resident radiation oncologist, was awarded First Place for best clinical/translational poster at the 2008 UNC Lineberger Annual Scientific Retreat.
Dr. Donita Brady, a recent doctoral recipient from Dr. Adrienne Cox's lab, was awarded First Place for best basic science poster at the 2008 UNC Lineberger Annual Scientific Retreat.
Dr. Yoko Itahana awarded a three-year NIH fellowship
Dr. Yoko Itahana, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Yanping Zhang’s laboratory, was recently awarded a three-year fellowship, the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Fellowship (NRSA F32), to study the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of the oncoprotein Mdm2 using a mouse model.
Dr. Mahesh Varia Elected 2007 ASTRO Fellow
Dr. Mahesh Varia, Professor of Radiation Oncology, has been elected a 2007 Fellow of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). Eligibility to receive the “FASTRO” designation is based on the length of Society membership and meritorious service to ASTRO and to the field of radiation oncology in general. Four possible pathways to becoming a Fellow – leadership/service, research, patient care and education – are considered. Dr. Varia will be honored in a special Fellows Induction Ceremony on October 30, 2007 during the upcoming 49th Annual Meeting of ASTRO in Los Angeles, CA. He joins Dr. Joel Tepper, Hector MacLean Distinguished Professor of Radiation Oncology, who became an ASTRO Fellow in 2006.
Dr. Jian Zhang Receives 2007 AAPM Reviewer’s Choice Award
Dr. Jian (Jerry) Zhang, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, received a Reviewer’s Choice award from the American Association of Medical Physics (AAPM) at their 49th Annual Meeting, July 22-26, 2007, for his presentation on “Multiplexing radiography for ultra-fast computed tomography: a feasibility study”. Over 1,100 abstracts were submitted for scientific review this year, and Dr. Zhang’s was chosen by the reviewers as one of the eight highest ranked submissions. Co-authors on the paper included G. Yang, Y. Lee, S. Chang, J. Lu and O. Zhou from the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Physics and Astronomy.
Dr. Yanping Zhang awarded 5-year grant from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Dr. Yanping Zhang, Associate Professor in the Cancer Biology Division, was awarded a 5-year research grant from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for his work on Targeting B23.NPM in leukemia and lymphoma.
Dr. Sha Chang awarded 3-year NIH grant for nanotube micro-RT technology
Dr. Sha Chang, Associate Professor and the Chief of Physics & Computing Division, was awarded a three-year National Institute of Health(NIH) grant to develop carbon nanotube field emission based x-ray pixel array micro-CT technology for small animal cancer model research.
Dr. Julian Rosenman awarded 2-year NIH grant for treatment planning automation
Dr. Julian Rosenman, Professor of Radiation Oncology, was awarded a 2-year National Institute of Health (NIH) grant to develop automation techniques for radiotherapy treatment planning of head and neck cancer.
North Carolina Cancer Hospital Construction Continues
Over 400 people attended the September 28, 2005 groundbreaking for the new North Carolina Cancer Hospital. Attendees heard remarks from, among others, Dean of the UNC School of Medicine, Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and CEO of the UNC Healthcare System Bill Roper; UNC 
System President Molly Broad; UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser; and Keynote Speaker Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, then-Director of the National Cancer Institute. Three-year-old Reece Holbrook, a leukemia patient treated at UNC, received a Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" bracelet from Dr. von Eschenbach, and was given the honor of turning over the first shovel-full of dirt at the soon-to-be construction site.
High praise was given to the NC Legislature and to Governor Mike Easley for their decision to allocate $180 million in funding for the new cancer hospital. Also receiving thanks were University officials, UNC alumni, the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Visitors, as well as North Carolina cancer survivors and families who advocated strongly for the construction of the facility.
Since groundbreaking nearly 3 years ago, construction of the NC Cancer Hospital is well underway, as shown in the photo to the right, taken in October, 2008.
We all look forward to moving to our brand new hospital dedicated to cancer care in about a year's time!