Duke Raleigh Hospital

Duke Cancer Center Cary Radiation Oncology team

Cancer patients in Wake County now have three new locations in which they can receive Duke-level cancer services closer to home. The three former locations of Cancer Centers of North Carolina (CCNC) are now officially part of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) and Duke Raleigh Hospital. Building on the Duke Cancer Center Raleigh, this brings the total number of Duke cancer specialists based in Wake County to more than 30 physicians.

“When patients are coming to see us five days a week, having a clinic nearby provides for their comfort and convenience.”, says Chad Seastrunk, administrative director of operations at Duke Cancer Center Raleigh.

The three sites are now known as Duke Cancer Center Macon Pond, Duke Cancer Center Cary, and Duke Cancer Center Cary Radiation Oncology. These locations are staffed by nine former CCNC oncologists and an additional medical oncologist who joined Duke from Regional Cancer Care. The Duke Cancer Center Macon Pond and Duke Cancer Center Cary Radiation Oncology locations include linear accelerators which will be upgraded to the most modern, state-of-the-art versions in the coming months. Duke Cancer Center Raleigh’s linear accelerator is also scheduled for an upgrade in spring 2015.

“This is a major step forward in our efforts to bring renowned Duke cancer services to Wake County and enable patients to receive Duke cancer care more conveniently, without leaving Wake County,” said David Zaas, MD, president of Duke Raleigh Hospital. “We recognize the importance that cancer patients place on receiving care in their community and now patients can have both the convenience of local Duke care sites and the expertise of one of the country’s leading cancer programs.”

At these three Duke Cancer Center sites, patients can now be evaluated for participation in DCI-run clinical trials that often include the latest experimental therapies for many forms of cancer as well as innovative treatment regimens. These experimental protocols are only available locally through DCI.

“Duke care teams will now be delivering the next generation of cancer therapies at multiple sites in Wake County and available to patients throughout the region,” said DCI Executive Director Michael Kastan, M.D., Ph.D. “This is truly cancer care as it should be for people facing a cancer diagnosis.”

Joining the Duke cancer team is a win-win for patients in Wake County as well as their community physicians, said Neeraj Agrawal, M.D., a community oncologist who recently joined Duke Cancer Center Raleigh.

“Patients in Wake County will now have a variety of unique advantages in accessing the scope of Duke-level cancer services, while community physicians will benefit from establishing and maintaining relationships with those of us who have our roots in community medicine,” Agrawal said. “This exciting growth allows the Duke Cancer team to stand shoulder to shoulder with our community physician colleagues to help improve the care we can provide to our community.”

The Duke team in Wake County includes medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and surgical sub-specialists offering patient-centered team-based care with the support of disease specific patient navigators providing the support and encouragement needed when facing a cancer diagnosis.