University Medical Center is home to the region's only inpatient transplant unit. The availability to rescue a patient's bone marrow from the toxic effects of high-dose chemotherapy is renewing hope for patients with advanced cancers after conventional treatments have failed. The bone marrowtransplant unit is approved to participate in clinical trails sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. Pain Management Center Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, in conjunction with the Southwest Cancer Center at UMC, offers one of the most comprehensive pain management centers in the world. With a staff of respected board certified pain management physicians, the center offers both conventional treatment with oral medications as well as a complete spectrum of pain management techniques such as sensory nerve blocks, nerve destruction procedures, implanted spinal morphine pump therapy, and physical therapy management.
Psychological support is available both to the patients and to their families.
Furthermore, appropriate referrals can be made to hospice and other support groups. The Center is open five days a week and has physicians on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Nurse Coordinators provide specialized nursing care to newly diagnosed patients. They also offer a continuity of care for the patients getting treatment both in the hospital and the outpatient clinic. Social Services Patients of the Southwest Cancer Center at UMC receive help and support from a master's-level social worker licensed by the state of Texas and specially trained in working with oncology patients.