Expanding Access to State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatment in New Mexico

Expanding Access to State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatment in New Mexico

Impact of Compassionate Cancer Care for All New Mexicans The expansion of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center continues our mission to provide excellent, equitable and compassionate cancer treatment; discovery of new therapies through state-of-the-art cancer research; and access to clinical trials for all New Mexicans. We are the only cancer center in the state to achieve Comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute.

This expansion helps New Mexicans facing cancer: they do not need to travel out of state to receive treatment. New Mexicans can receive the highest level of care while remaining close to their loved ones.

Our Cancer Center Expansion The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is expanding to provide treatments found nowhere else in New Mexico. The 49,000-square-foot expansion will provide space to add or expand treatment programs.

The expansion will add a new machine to Radiation Oncology. The magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MRI LINAC) will be the only machine of its kind in our state. The MRI LINAC simultaneously images a tumor while focusing radiation beams on it, thus enabling our doctors to see tumors better and target them more precisely with radiation even as the patient breathes.

The new construction will add space to expand our theranostics program, allowing as many as 25 people to receive this treatment each day. This cutting-edge therapy uses a two-part drug molecule in a two-step procedure.

One part of the drug molecule binds to certain receptors on cancer cells; the other part is a radioactive ion. One

Photo Left: Physicians discussing theranostic imaging

Photo Right: Scientists review fluorescence microscopy, routinely used to determine spatial & topological information about cells and tissues

type of radioactive ion is used for diagnosis (finding the cancer cells) and another type is used for treatment (killing the cancer cells). The radioactive treatment precisely targets cancer cells with very little effect on neighboring cells. At the UNM Cancer Center, theranostics is used to treat prostate cancer and neuroendocrine cancers.

The facility expansion will also make room for expanding our Cellular Therapies program. The program achieved FACT accreditation in 2024 for autologous stem cell transplants and last year began offering allogeneic stem cell transplants for people with blood cancers. This year, the Cellular Therapies program began offering chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR-T). CAR-T uses a modified subset

of the patient’s own white blood cells to fight lymphomas, myelomas and leukemias that have failed to respond to more traditional therapy.

CAR-T offers new ways to enhance the immune system to treat these cancers.

Additionally, the added space will allow expansion of our Clinical Research Office, which serves as the academic hub for state-ofthe-art cancer clinical trials offered across the state through the New Mexico Cancer Research Alliance (NMCRA). Clinical trials offer New Mexicans opportunities to take part in novel cancer research conducted by our research faculty and partners. Through our NMCRA partners, all New Mexicans can gain access to clinical trials throughout our state.

Photo Left: New MRI LINAC

Photo Right: Senior scientist finding new cancer discoveries in her lab

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For more information, contact: Leigh Rowland Senior Director of Development Leigh.Rowland@unmfund.org 505.925.0471

Kathryn Shelburne Director of Development Kathryn.Shelburne@unmfund.org 505.272.9887

Arlene Espinoza-Armijo Director of Development Arlene.Armijo@unmfund.org 505.272.4609