Cancer Research & Treatment, Patient Support, Community Outreach, or Education & Training of Medical Professionals

Challengers are able to send 100% of their donations to their choice of the following programs at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center:

(Note: Donations without a selected specialty are sent to the General Research Fund.)

Patient Support

• Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers (AYA) Research

  • AYA cancers are biologically and genetically different from their adult or pediatric counterparts, and they may respond better to therapies developed for younger children or to newer targeted therapies. The UNM Cancer Center pediatric and adult cancer physicians are trained to provide the highest quality care for AYA cancer patients and give them access to the most effective integrated treatments.

• Cancer Palliative/End of Life Care

  • Palliative Care provides relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. It improves quality of life for people with serious illness and for their families.

• Cancer Survivorship Clinic

  • Cancer survivors may experience physical and emotional changes resulting from their cancer treatment. Sometimes these changes last for years. The UNM Cancer Center Survivorship program offers support and services to help survivors cope with the effects of cancer treatment.

• DEI Health Equity Fund

  • Our goal is to help each New Mexican achieve the best level of health. The UNM Cancer Center’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices focus on creating personalized approaches to health that are as unique as each person they benefit. Help us help all New Mexicans achieve their best health.

• Patient Care Fund

  • The Patient Care fund supports patients and their families who travel from all four corners of the state. It provides financial assistance for transportation, lodging, food, and psychosocial support while accessing treatment at the UNM Cancer Center to ensure that patients are as successful as possible during their treatment. Learn more about UNM Cancer Center Patient and Family Support Services.

Cancer Research

• Breast Cancer Research

  • The Breast Cancer Research Fund supports cutting-edge research focused on basic, clinical, survivorship and/or quality-of-life studies. Learn more about the Breast Cancer team at UNM Cancer Center.

• Children’s Cancer Research Fund

  • The UNM Cancer Center Pediatric Cancers Team is the only program in the state that offers access to NIH*-sponsored cancer clinical trials. These clinical trials offer cutting-edge treatments to the children of New Mexico to improve their treatment outcomes and quality of life. *National Institutes of Health

• Early Phase Cancer Clinical Trials Program (New Therapies)

  • New cancer drugs and treatments go through a series of steps, called phases, before they are approved for use. The early steps test whether the new drug or treatment is safe, what its side effects are, and what the best dose for treatment is. Learn more about Clinical Trials at UNM Cancer Center, including the Early Phase clinical trials program.

• Gastrointestinal Cancer Research

  • The UNM Cancer Center Gastrointestinal team focuses on all the organs of the digestive system including esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, small bowel, colon, rectum and anus. They treat people with gastrointestinal cancers and conduct basic and clinical research.

• General Research Fund

  • The Cancer Research Fund supports world-class cancer research in laboratories, clinics and communities by building on the UNM Cancer Center’s unique institutional strengths and healthcare partnerships. This fund supports research designed to determine the genetic, environmental, social and behavioral factors that contribute to the distinct patterns of cancer incidence and mortality in the multiethnic populations of New Mexico. Learn more about the many facets of UNM Cancer Center Research.

• Head & Neck Cancers Research

  • The Head and Neck Cancers team at UNM Cancer Center focuses on cancers in the neck and up. These cancers can be particularly complex to treat because of the many different kinds of tissues in this area and the many functions these organs carry out. The team treats people with cancer and conducts research.

• Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma and Stem Cell Transplantation

  • The Hematologic Cancers Team at UNM Cancer Center treats blood disorders which include leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and benign (non-cancerous) blood diseases. The team also conducts research on hematologic cancers. The Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Center has the only FACT accredited program in New Mexico, and offers autologous and allogeneic transplants.

• Lung Cancers Prevention, Research and Treatment Fund

  • Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in women and in men and is by far the most common cause of cancer-related deaths. The UNM Cancer Center Lung Cancer team offers a lung cancer screening program, treats patients with lung cancer, and works closely with our cancer scientists who study lung cancer biology through basic and clinical research.

• Neuro-Oncology Cancers

  • The Neuro-Oncology Cancer Team at UNM Cancer Center conducts research and cares for people with brain and spinal tumors. Whether the tumors start in the brain or spinal cord, or whether they spread to these areas, our team provides the most advanced care and research to fight this disease.

• Polly Rogers Pancreatic Cancer Fund

  • The Polly Rogers Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund was established at the UNM Cancer Center in honor of Polly Rogers, a healthy non-smoking mother of three boys who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009, just 11 months after her diagnosis. The fund supports faculty research in pancreatic cancer. Learn about the UNM Cancer Center Liver, Pancreas and Gallbladder Cancers team.

• Prostate, Renal, Bladder and Testicular Cancers Research

  • The UNM Cancer Center Genitourinary Cancers team treats kidney, bladder, prostate and testicular cancers. The team manages ground-breaking clinical research studies that are investigating new drugs and novel approaches to treating these cancers, including theranostic drugs. 

• Sarcomas and Bone Cancers Research

  • Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues, blood vessels, or deep skin tissues. They can be found in any part of the body; most develop in the arms or legs. The UNM Cancer Center Sarcomas and Bone Cancer team focuses on treating patients with every kind of soft tissue sarcoma.

• Skin Cancer Prevention and Research Fund

  • The UNM Cancer Center Skin Cancers Team brings the latest research and treatment from all over the world to help New Mexicans who have been diagnosed with skin cancer or who have cancer-related skin conditions.

• Women’s Cancer Research (gynecologic cancers)

  • Gynecologic oncologists are unlike any other cancer doctors. They treat only women’s cancers of the reproductive tract: cancers of the ovaries, uterus, cervix, vagina/vulva, and placenta. The Gynecologic Oncology team at UNM Cancer Center also conducts research and manages clinical trials in these cancers to give patients access to the most scientifically advanced treatments.

Education and Training

• Training and Education of Cancer Health Professionals

  • The UNM Cancer Center offers a number of education and training opportunities for our scientists and future scientists, from the middle school level through junior faculty. It also offers physician fellowships in oncology. Fellowship training is the highest training a physician can receive.

 

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