Diagnosis

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to cure cancer, slow its growth, keep it from spreading or relieve some of the symptoms it causes. The drugs your team prescribes will depend on your cancer and your care plan.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses beams of high energy radiation to kill cancer cells. The radiation beams travel through the body along different paths, but all the paths go through the tumor, giving the tumor cells a higher radiation dose. Our team uses many different methods to get the most radiation to the tumor, while getting the least radiation that they can to normal tissues.

A 23 minute interview on the first successful allogeneic stem cell transplant in New Mexico with Dr. Matthew Fero; Podcast by News Radio KKOB Host Terry Travis (:30 ad 1st)

Cancer Surgery

Your care team may suggest cancer surgery to remove part of the tumor to test it. They may suggest surgery to remove the tumor completely. You may choose to have reconstructive surgery after your cancer surgery.

Bone Marrow Transplant

The Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant program offers autologous stem cell transplants, most often for people with lymphoma and myeloma. These transplants allow you to get chemotherapy treatment that would otherwise be harmful to your bone marrow.

Theranostics

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) is a new tool in our cancer-fighting arsenal that can quickly deliver effective treatment for cancers that can be difficult to diagnose or treat.

InPatient Team

If you need hospital care during your treatment, your doctor will admit you to the UNM Hospital, where a UNM Cancer Center Hematology or Medical Oncology attending physician will supervise your care. Our in-patient team works closely with your doctor at the UNM Cancer Center outpatient clinic to provide seamless care.

Cancer Genetic Assessment

Some cancers run in families. To learn if your cancer runs in your family, your care team may suggest a cancer genetic assessment. If cancer runs in your family, your team may adjust your treatment to deal with your cancer.

Cancer Survivorship Program

Cancer has physical, mental, emotional, social and financial effects that don't go away once your treatment has ended. At the UNM Cancer Center, we developed our Survivorship program to get you back to the things you love. 

The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center is the ONLY facility in New Mexico offering chemotherapy, radiation therapy, cancer surgery, genetic cancer assessment, clinical trials, supportive care, and a pharmacy together under one roof.

Research

Our NCI Comprehensive designation means we are at the forefront of turning the most promising scientific advances into treatment for people with cancer.

Basic and Translational Research

Our 102 researchers and physician scientists work with New Mexico’s national laboratories and universities around the region, nation and world to break new ground in understanding and combating cancer. These discoveries benefit New Mexicans.

Cancer research at the UNM Cancer Center is organized into three programs. Each program works with our Clinical Research Office to translate discoveries in basic science into cancer treatments.

Clinical Research

Clinical research helps to create new standards in cancer care, which help to bring life-saving discoveries to everyone. Clinical trials carefully and completely test new treatments in people. Early phase clinical trials test new treatments in people for the first time. Later phases test how well the treatment compares to existing standards of care.

The UNM Cancer Center offers clinical trials to everyone in New Mexico through the New Mexico Cancer Care Alliance. And, every patient at UNM Cancer Center may elect to join the Total Cancer Care protocol to donate their tissues and possibly be matched to clinical trials.