UNM Health Sciences has announced that the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is set to expand its clinical space in order to provide exclusive treatments. The expansion will facilitate advanced radiation treatment machines, theranostic treatment rooms, interventional radiology procedures, and cellular therapies such as allogeneic stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR T).
Originally approved for $28 million in 2018, the new build-out for the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in an increase in construction costs to $61 million. According to a press release by UNM Health Sciences, the first stage of completion involved replacing the Accuray Tomotherapy machine with an Elekta Versa HD, offering noninvasive stereotactic radiosurgery for specific brain targets. The subsequent phase includes a state-of-the-art magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MRI LINAC) and five new infusion suites. The final stage will feature an 11,000-square-foot interventional radiology space and a 4,000-square-foot cellular Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) laboratory for the UNM Cancer Center’s Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation program.
Rodney Martinez, Chief Financial Officer of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, stated in a press release by UNM Health Sciences: "Due to our budgetary challenges, we broke the project into three segments. And we prioritized those segments by patient needs."
David Lee, MD, PhD, director of Radiation Oncology at UNM Cancer Center said in another press release by UNM Health Sciences: "MRI-LINAC will give us unprecedented ability to treat tumors that are hard to see, such as pancreatic cancers and liver cancers. The result will be better targeting of tumors with less side effects. This is an incredible opportunity for the patients of New Mexico."
As per information provided on its website, the UNM Cancer Center is the only cancer center in New Mexico designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It holds the prestigious status of being one of only 56 NCI-designated Comprehensive cancer centers in the country.