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Department of Radiation Oncology (919) 966-1101 Clinic |
The UNC Department of Radiation Oncology has a world-wide reputation as a center of excellence in the areas of physics and computing, radiation biology, and clinical research.
Our Medical Physics and Computing Group specializes in the development and implementation of computer-assisted radiation therapy treatment planning tools, including 3D treatment planning, image registration and image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Faculty are also members of the Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, and participate in research on carbon nanotube-based X-ray devices for cellular studies of radiation response and in vivo cancer detection and treatment.
(Image courtesy of MIDAG, the Medical Image and Display Analysis Group)
Our Molecular Radiobiology Division has as its emphasis the elucidation and manipulation of ras signal transduction pathways for therapeutic advantage; identification of hypoxia in human tumors, its prognostic significance, and its association with other physiological markers of tumor agressiveness; the molecular biology of the cell cycle and its regulation; and the role of the epidermal growth factor receptor family of proteins in breast cancer pathogenesis and response to radiotherapy.
(Image credit: Strickland et al. Biochemistry 37: 16601-16611, 1998)
Finally, our clinical faculty participate in a number of both institution-based, local/regional and national clinical trials aimed at improving cancer therapy with radiation and cytotoxic drugs. Areas of particular interest include gastrointestinal malignancies, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, tumor hypoxia and the clinical evaluation of new treatment planning tools.
