A Key Decision

The Duke Hematologic Malignancy Program combines state of the art, compassionate medical care with innovative science to improve outcomes for patients battling leukemias, lymphomas, and other blood and lymphoid related cancers. Many hospitals and clinics can give chemotherapy and offer clinical studies, but there are many factors to consider when choosing where to receive therapy.

Why Choose Duke?

1. Depth of experience
   Duke has earned national recognition for its leadership in the treatment of patients with cancer. Duke is consistently ranked among the nation’s premier health care institutions. The physicians working within the Hematologic Malignancy Program at Duke University are all board-certified or eligible, and include intensivists in medical oncology and hematology, stem cell and bone marrow transplantation, and related specialties.

   Duke's nationally reknown hematologists bring to bear decades of collective expertise and training in their respective fields to provide personalized care for patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and acute or chronic lymphocytic and myelogenous leukemias. These specialists work together to plan a comprehensive treatment strategy for each patient, drawing on the most effective therapies – including many that have been developed and refined right here at Duke. Our patients also have access to the extensive array of clinical trials under way at Duke to test new treatments for leukemias and lymphomas.

2. Volume of patients seen
   The Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center sees thousands of patients each year with cancer, more than any other facility in North Carolina , and our program sees and treats nearly 1,000 patients with some form of a hematologic malignancy. Duke is one of the nation's leading centers for diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

3. A truly multidisciplinary approach
   Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical residents and fellows, social workers, pharmacists, nutritionists, physical therapists, and even financial advisors, all working together to provide the best care available for the patient.

4. Access to emerging and experimental diagnostic and therapeutic strategies
   Duke’s diagnostic imaging capabilities give patients access to the full spectrum of imaging technology, from traditional X-ray, CT scans, and MRIs to state-of-the-art protocols combining PET and CT scans to provide more sophisticated diagnostic information. Our pathology experts can go beyond standard diagnostics to monitor leukemia and lymphoma patients at the molecular level using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques.

   Duke's leadership in new modalities of radiation therapy, access to novel experimental drugs, and combination of strong basic research and outstanding clinical care allows us to provide the best therapy for patients in our continuing effort to improve chances for cure. Our clinical team offers a range of state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques and traditional therapies that are the standard of care, developed by scientists and proven in clinics around the world. In cases where traditional approaches have not been successful, we can also offer a wide range of cutting-edge experimental regimens, many designed by scientists in our own laboratories and available nowhere else in the world.

   As one of the country's premier academic medical centers, Duke is involved in a wide variety of clinical trials of new forms of chemotherapy, radiation, and genetic treatments, giving patients treatment options that may not be available at community hospitals for years. For instance, novel techniques such as non-ablative stem cell transplants, pioneered in part at Duke, are offering new hope for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, and some solid tumors.

5. Comprehensive support services
   Duke's Hematologic Malignancy Program includes assistance with lodging, on-site food services and nutritional counseling, financial counseling, in-home care, and help with many other emotional and logistical concerns. The Program takes a holistic approach to address the medical, physical, psychological, emotional, and social needs of our patients. We alleviate stress and pain through healing touch, massage, aromatherapy, counseling, and patient support programs. We take particular care to address the needs of our elderly patients, whose physiologic processes require a gentler approach to treatment.

   For patients who have treatment-resistant or recurrent cancers, we provide a seamless transition to our adult bone marrow and stem cell transplant team.

   Duke also offers educational and psychological support to cancer patients and their families through its Patient Assistance Programs.