In 1990, the Cancer Center of Wake Forest University (CCCWFU) in Winston-Salem received National Cancer Institute (NCI) comprehensive center status, one of only 24 in the nation at the time. The CCCWFU became an NCI-designated cancer center in 1974.

The CCCWFU provides access to cancer care and expertise to the Piedmont and southern Appalachian region, an area of 58 contiguous counties in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. This region has significant health disparities compared with national averages.