Clinical Trials and Programs
You are not alone. Patients who come to UNC will have not only their own oncologist but an entire multidisciplinary team of different cancer specialists managing their treatment. Each patient’s medical case is discussed at a disease-specific tumor board, where 6-10 specialty physicians with different areas of expertise hear and discuss the case before treatment begins. This process helps eliminate errors, and ensures that all reasonable treatment options are considered, so that your own doctor can provide the best possible care for both you and your fellow patients.
There are twelve tumor board meetings for the thirteen cancer programs in UNC.
- Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology Program
- Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Program
- UNC Breast Center
- Gastrointestinal Oncology Program
- Gynecologic Oncology Program
- Head and Neck Oncology Program
- Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma Program
- Melanoma Program
- Neuro-oncology Program
- Pediatric Oncology Program
- Thoracic Oncology Program
- Urologic Oncology Program
Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE)
- Gastrointestinal SPORE
The UNC Gastrointestinal Cancer SPORE (Specialized Programs of Research Excellence), one of only four in the country, is very active on both the local and national level, and is led by UNC radiation oncologist Dr. Joel Tepper. The radiation oncology component of this research program has focused on the use of combined modality therapy in the treatment of diseases of the GI tract, and assessing possible biological indicators of treatment response. more→
- Breast SPORE
UNC’s multidisciplinary breast cancer program has been a thriving example of true multidisciplinary care for the past 15 years. Unlike many programs that have multidisciplinary tumor boards that meet to review cases after treatment decisions have been made, UNC takes a true “team approach”. Patients are seen on the same day as the tumor board by all disciplines, and the multidisciplinary treatment recommendations are made by the group. This allows co-ordination of treatment care, consensus recommendations, and fosters interdisciplinary treatment trials. more→