Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) is home to the only Brain Tumor Center of Excellence in western North Carolina.

The Brain Tumor Center of Excellence was formed in June 2003 and is operated by a highly experienced team of experts that is nationally recognized in all facets of brain tumor treatment and study.

The Center’s program is based on 3 basic components.

• An excellent group of clinicians
• A world-class researcher to direct the Center
• A mission to grow the clinical and basic research programs to a magnitude that would place WFUBMC among the top six brain tumor centers in the United States

Each year, approximately 17,500 primary brain tumors and 150,000 to 250,000 metastatic brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States. Brain tumors are the most common cause of death from childhood cancers, and the cure rate in adults is 1-5 percent.

Significant strides have been made in our research goals. The Brain Tumor Center of Excellence has 3 areas of research focus.

• Novel therapeutics – Identifying innovative treatments that will improve outcome
• Bioanatomic imaging  – Identifying the unique signatures of a cancer through non-invasive imaging of tumor biology, chemistry and physiology, thus allowing individual treatment planning
• Radiation-induced brain injury – Understanding the mechanisms of injury and ways to prevent and treat side-effects of brain tumor therapy