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Now Open: First Clinical Trial to Evaluate Metformin
for the Treatment of Endometrial Hyperplasia
 Drs. Ko and
Bae-Jump, along with Dr. John Byron, are leading a
multi-institutional pilot clinical trial to assess the efficacy of
metformin in the treatment of women with simple and complex
endometrial hyperplasia without atypia at UNC Chapel Hill and
Southern Pines Women’s Health Center.
Potential
biomarkers of treatment response will also be explored, including
metabolic factors and molecular markers of downstream targets of
the metformin/mTOR signaling pathway. Patients will be enrolled
through the general gynecology and gynecologic oncology clinics.
For more
information or to refer a patient, call 919-843-2343.
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Recent Study Looks at Minimally-Invasive Surgical
Approaches
 A new
technique for minimally-invasive sentinel lymph node sampling may
reduce the risk of long-term complications for patients with
cervical and endometrial cancer, according to a feasibility study
conducted at the University of North Carolina.
“While
more research needs to be conducted in a broader patient
population, we know that the benefits of minimally-invasive
surgical approaches to these cancers are significant for patients.
Our results suggest that this technique can increase confidence
that sentinel lymph node biopsy can be conducted in a thorough
manner with actionable results for the patient’s cancer treatment
plan with a minimally-invasive approach that speeds healing time
and can be less painful for the surgical patient,” said principal
investigator John Boggess, MD. The investigators are
undertaking the required regulatory steps to allow additional women
to be offered enrollment into this study. Read
more.
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New Referral and Outreach Options
 Dr. Kenneth
Kim recently joined the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the
University of North Carolina. He comes to UNC from the University
of Alabama where he completed his fellowship training in
Gynecologic Oncology. He earned his medical degree and completed
his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State
University.
The
addition of Dr. Kim will allow for the expansion of referral and
patient care services at UNC and at
Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC. He will join Drs. John Soper, John
Boggess, and Linda Van Le and nurse practitioner Pat Butterton in
providing coverage Monday - Friday for gynecologic oncology
consultative services, both inpatient and outpatient, and operative
consultation and procedures.
Consultative
and operative services are also provided at Wesley
Long Hospital in Greensboro, NC. Wesley Long Hospital is
part of the Moses Cone Hospital System. Drs. Daniel Clarke-Pearson,
Wendy Brewster and Paola Gehrig travel to Greensboro approximately
two days a week, allowing women to receive subspecialty care in
their community hospital. Nancy Wilkinson, RN, coordinates and
manages the practice, and there are plans to add an additional
nurse practitioner in the near future.
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 Groesbeck
Parham, MD and Charla Chibwesha, MD, MSc (shown here with Susan
Banda, NP) lead an extensive outreach and screening program for cervical
cancer in Zambia.
Read
more.
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UNC Fertility Preservation Program
The UNC
Fertility Preservation Program is a multi-disciplinary clinic of
reproductive endocrinologists, oncologists, and psychologists. The
program's goal is to provide information, counseling, support, and
state-of-the-art treatment options for patients with cancer and
other illnesses requiring treatment that seriously threatens future
fertility. Services are offered at two locations: UNC Women’s
Hospital in Chapel Hill and the UNC Specialty Women’s Center at Rex
Hospital in Raleigh.
“Fertility
preservation is medically complex and emotionally challenging,”
notes Jennifer Mersereau, MD, Director of the Fertility
Preservation Program. “We’re dedicated to offering the most
complete range of options for fertility preservation in a
compassionate, personal environment.” Read
more.
The Elderly and Cancer
 With the
creation of the UNC Elderly Working Group, a critical mass of
investigators have come together to study the impact of cancer and
its treatment in the elderly population. Drs. Van Le and Muss have
launched LCCC1015 “Use of Palliative Performance and Symptom
Distress Scales in Older Patients with Advanced Ovarian
Cancer." The goal of this study is to assess the impact of
cancer surgery and chemotherapy on cognitive, emotional, and
physical function in older patients. Another study planned to open
soon will look at the impact of chemotherapy for recurrent
endometrial cancer, to determine the impact on quality of life in
older patients.
Nationally,
the Gynecologic Oncology Group has recognized the special needs and
characteristics of the elderly group and has launched the clinical
trial GOG 273 “Chemotherapy Toxicity in Elderly Women with Ovarian,
Primary Peritoneal or Fallopian Tube Cancer” which will evaluate
the impact of treatment on elderly patients for a broader group of
tumors. This trial is also available for gynecologic cancer
patients at UNC.
Other Specialty Services
The Center for
Women’s Health Research at UNC (CWHR) has recently added two new
clinical trials to the list of 15 women’s health focused projects
administered by the center. Read
more.
Cancer Survivorship
and Exercise - Contact Paola Gehrig, MD, at 919-966-1994 for
more information.
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Contact Information
To make
a referral to the UNC program, call coordinator Katrina Moore at
919-966-7822.
To make
a referral to the program at Rex, call coordinator Mary Culbreth,
RN, at 919-784-6875.
To make
a referral to the program in Greensboro, call coordinator Nancy
Wilkinson, RN, at 336-832-1895.
For more
information about clinical trials, call Elizabeth Hill at
919-843-1656.
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