In 2012, Debra had trouble with her vision and went to see her eye doctor. She was referred to a neuro ophthalmologist and an MRI showed that Debra had an aneurysm pushing on her optic nerve. Debra was no stranger to the dangers of brain aneurysms. Her father passed away...

In 2022, Eron began experiencing severe neck pain and difficulty holding her head in an upright position. She had developed a severe chronic spinal infection from leakage of her oral bacteria into the space around the spinal column in her neck, causing erosion and collapse of four vertebrae in her...

“Every patient deserves a treatment plan tailored to their unique needs,” said Dr. Cheerag Upadhyaya. “Given Chrissie’s circumstances, we wanted to preserve her mobility and independence while relieving the pressure on her spinal cord. Laminoplasty offered the motion-sparing approach she needed to regain her quality of life.” When Chrissie was...

Travis lived an active lifestyle, regularly training for triathlons and weight lifting. In 2019, Travis started to gain weight and experienced a lack of energy and daily fatigue. Combined with his sudden lack of drive and inability to recover in between workouts, Travis went to his primary care provider for...

Lynn lives an active lifestyle as an owner of her own luxury traveling tours business. But when she got back from a corporate cruise in November of 2023, she started to feel sick every day. Lynn was quick to dismiss her feelings of unwellness and weight loss, assuming that her...

Dr. Soma Sengupta, Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurosurgery and Division Chief of Neuro Oncology in the Department of Neurology, was selected by the Mayfield Foundation as the first Mayfield Scholar, enabling Dr. Sengupta to dedicate a significant portion of her practice to brain tumor research. The...

Thanks to a generous philanthropic gift from Nancy and Tom Chewning, UNC Health is now among the select few health systems in the United States to have a full spectrum of focused ultrasound equipment for image-guided brain surgery. The Chewning gift enabled the recent acquisition of a low-frequency (220 KHz)...

Gary, a North Carolina veteran, struggled with his essential tremor and his daily tremors impacted his quality of life. Gary came to UNC Health for focused ultrasound treatment to help manage his tremors. Here is what Gary has to say about focused ultrasound treatment and his care at UNC Health:...

Experimental therapy is available to patients with recurrent glioblastoma that did not respond to standard-of-care therapies, demonstrating UNC Lineberger’s continued commitment to brain tumor research. The FDA has approved an expanded access program for an experimental therapy for patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). It is now available at three locations...

Led by UNC Lineberger’s Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, MBA, division chief of neuro-oncology in the UNC Department of Neurosurgery, this phase 2 trial will evaluate the optimal dose of Ropidoxuridine to enhance the positive effect of radiation therapy for patients with unmethylated MGMT glioblastoma. The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center...