UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

12/08/2025

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy's Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Division is a central hub for cancer therapeutics. Its faculty — more than half are UNC Lineberger members — are studying the chemical and biological mechanisms that promote cancer growth and persistence.

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Division is a central hub for cancer therapeutics. Its faculty members are studying the chemical and biological mechanisms that promote cancer growth and persistence.

12/06/2025

12/05/2025

Palliative care helps you manage symptoms and side effects. Hospice care falls under the broad umbrella term of palliative care, but it’s specifically for patients in the final months of life.

Both provide support during illness but are used at different times.

12/01/2025

UNC Lineberger's Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, has been selected for a prestigious two-year national program that trains early-career physicians to design and lead community-centered clinical trials.

Dr. Chemtai Mungo named Robert A. Winn Career Development Award Scholar December 1, 2025 By jasmckoy CHAPEL HILL, N.C— Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, an assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and affiliate faculty at the UNC Lineberger Compreh...

11/24/2025

The Blueberry Patch Project centers around cultivating a blueberry patch—a symbol of growth, renewal, and nurturing potential—on Hatchell’s property in the North Carolina Mountains. Each summer, she opens her patch to the community, inviting individuals, families, and groups to pick fresh blueberries on the honor system, to which all proceeds go towards UNC Lineberger.

Former UNC women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell is hosting a "Plant a Blueberry Bush Day" to replace her destroyed charity patch.

11/24/2025

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month — a time to recognize the courage of patients and families, and to highlight ongoing research aimed at improving outcomes.

UNC Lineberger is enrolling patients with advanced basal-like pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a new clinical trial evaluating the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of low-dose EGFR inhibitors combined with bi-weekly gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GnP).

This research represents another step toward more personalized, effective treatment options for patients facing one of the most challenging cancer diagnoses.

To determine the Optimal Biologic Dose (OBD) of low-dose erlotinib when administered with bi-weekly gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in subjects with basal-like (defined by PurIST) metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the first-line setting in Stage I, the basal-like arm.

11/21/2025

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month — and we’re spotlighting a research study that could make a difference for people facing advanced cancers.

If you’ve been diagnosed with advanced breast, lung, colorectal, or bladder cancer and your doctor plans to send a sample of your tumor for genetic testing, you may be eligible to take part in a clinical research study.

The study is exploring whether an expert review of your tumor’s genetic test results can help your care team identify better treatment options or clinical trials tailored to your cancer.

The purpose of this research study is to look at a program that includes expert review of your tumor genetic test results. We want to see if this program can help your doctor identify better treatments or suitable clinical trials for your cancer. This is a hybrid decentralized study where some if no...

11/21/2025

“It feels amazing – having the hospital show care to the caregivers means so much to me, it’s like having a second family"

The event offered patients and their families a moment to pause, share a meal and enjoy a sense of community amid the challenges that often accompany cancer treatment and caregiving.

The Mary Anne Long Patient and Family Resource Center at the North Carolina Basnight Cancer Hospital hosted its annual Thanksgiving luncheon for patients and caregivers.

11/18/2025

At UNC Health Cancer, Michaela leads the Cancer Patient Assistance Fund with a passion for helping patients feel supported through every step of their care. Her work ensures compassion and connection remain at the heart of what we do.

“It’s important to me that every patient has access to receive quality cancer care.” — Michaela Erbstoesser, MBA, BSN, RN, CMSRN

At UNC Health Cancer, Michaela leads the Cancer Patient Assistance Fund with a passion for helping patients feel supported through every step of their care. Her work ensures compassion and connection remain at the heart of what we do.

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4oJHA5f

11/17/2025

Patients with advanced stages of melanoma often need immunotherapy and chemotherapy to completely rid their body of cancer cells. But even then, the therapy is only successful in less than half of patients — and can come with side effects that dampen quality of life.

In a new study, UNC Lineberger researchers have found that by inhibiting a problematic protein, the immune system can better fight off melanoma, decreasing tumor growth and bolstering the body’s immune cells.

Researchers found that inhibiting a problematic protein in the body helps immunotherapies and CAR T-cell therapy to better fight off melanoma.

11/07/2025

Gary Piontak was a runner and triathlete before he was sidelined with debilitating back pain and diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, he’s now in remission—and getting back to his active life.

Gary Piontak is in remission and enjoying an active retirement.

11/07/2025

The 50th annual UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Trainee Research Day bought together graduate students and postdoctoral research associates to share their work with peers and faculty, and to hear valuable career advice from former postdoctoral fellows.

The 50th annual UNC Lineberger Trainee Research Day bought together graduate students and postdoctoral research associates to share their work with peers and faculty, and to hear valuable career advice from former postdoctoral fellows.