Skip to main content
A physician talks with a patient in an exam room at the N.C. Cancer Hospital
Exterior of the N.C. Basnight Cancer Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC.

UNC Lineberger Bladder Cancer Center of Excellence

We offer a multidisciplinary urologic oncology program with a broad range of expertise focused on the special challenges presented by bladder and genitourinary cancers.

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the cancer center for the people of North Carolina, has established the Bladder Cancer Center of Excellence. This center brings together a multidisciplinary team comprised of world-renowned physicians, researchers and staff to create and deliver personalized, individualized care to patients.

UNC Lineberger has a team of recognized experts in bladder cancer care that combines outstanding surgical skill with tremendous expertise in radiology, medical oncology and radiation oncology.

The center serves as a national resource for patients and their loved ones who seek the latest and most reliable information about research, clinical advances and community resources.

Appointments & Questions

 To make an appointment, to refer a patient or to speak with an operator who can direct your call,
please call (984) 974-0000

(Available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday)

Headshot of Matt Milowsky

“Clinical translational research related to patient care is critically important to me. The drive to want to develop new therapies for patients with this devastating disease is what brings me to work every day.”
– Matthew Milowsky, MD, co-director, Bladder Cancer Center of Excellence

Our Multidisciplinary Urologic Oncology Program

Our center of excellence is distinguished by the team of multiple medical oncologists with a specific interest and experience in bladder cancer, as well as their own focused research programs. Our team works together to select the right approaches for each patient at the right time.

Research has consistently demonstrated that bladder cancer patients treated at high-volume centers have more favorable outcomes. Our patient volume and growth over the past several years reflects the trust of referring physicians and patients in our multidisciplinary approach.

Learn more about the UNC Lineberger Urologic Oncology Program

Research at the Bladder Cancer Center of Excellence

  • We are conducting innovative research and connecting and integrating our discoveries to improve the care of patients with bladder cancer in North Carolina and beyond.
  • The center reinforces an infrastructure that promotes collaboration in the laboratories and clinics, which leads to more efficient and effective translation of scientific discoveries into clinical practice.
  • UNC Lineberger has more than 13 bladder cancer clinical trials open, focusing on research that spans from better understanding the genetics of bladder cancer to determining more effective drug combinations and innovative therapies.
  • We are committed to recruiting, training and retaining the next generation of providers and researchers.

Bladder Cancer Expertise

The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is ranked in the top 10 of institutions with expertise in bladder cancer in the world.

This includes three of the top 75 bladder cancer experts in the world, based on Expertscape rankings: Matt Milowsky, MD, FASCO, Angela Smith, MD, MS, FACS, and Matthew Nielsen, MD, MS, FACS. The Expertscape rankings are based on publication output (original research, reviews, book chapters) along with the quality/prestige of the publisher.

These physician-researchers demonstrate a commitment not only to patient care, but also to engaging the entire research/clinical community.