6 Leading Cancer Care Centers
If one notes any early warning signs of cancer, the first step is to consult healthcare experts at the earliest. Individuals can consider Comprehensive Care Centers, recognized by The National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is a federal government agency for cancer research and training. The NCI tags top cancer hospitals in the USA that offer the best patient care and additional services.
Factors to consider while choosing a top cancer center hospital
The NCI has recognized 52 comprehensive care centers across the country, which provide the best and latest treatment for almost all cancers. They also have proportionally more doctors and health care professionals for every patient. Some facilities and services offered are as follows:
Imaging, pathology, and laboratory tests
Surgery
Radiation therapy
Systemic cancer therapy or chemotherapy
Targeted therapy
Clinical trials
Office and clinic-based ambulatory care
Palliative and supportive care
Rehabilitation
Survivorship
Education
In-house state-of-the-art research labs
Affiliation with science or research schools
Based on the above features, the top hospitals for cancer care in the USA are as follows:
MD Anderson Cancer Center
MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world’s leading cancer hospitals. It has also consistently been ranked as one of the top two hospitals in cancer care in the USA every year since 1990. They are pioneers in cancer research and have tried and tested protocols established for the best remedial methods. Patients can avail of top-notch screening facilities at the Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center, which has screening exams based on the risk of disease, age, and gender. One of MD Anderson’s flagship programs is the Moon Shots Program, which aims to focus on cancer research in a new manner and tries to improve prevention, timely detection, and remedies. Additionally, MD Anderson ensures that patients in their care receive an integrated treatment that includes cancer education, meditation sessions, music therapy, and acupuncture therapy. They also ensure that patients are prepared for their regular life after cancer treatment and continue to support them once they leave their center.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK)
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is one of the first centers to receive a comprehensive care center tag. MKS doctors work in tandem with some of the foremost cancer researchers and scientists to create strategies for disease detection, management, and cure. MSK’s Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Services trains its doctors and professionals in treatment and research in cancer biology, immunology, pharmacology, and other cancer-related fields. In 2015, FDA approved a combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab created by specialists in MSK to help manage advanced melanoma. MSK’s dedicated team combines their skill and expertise to take the best approach to individual cases. The center also offers integrated healthcare services, including cancer therapies and precision prescriptions, genetic counseling, after-treatment support, and many other services.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and is a designated comprehensive cancer center. One of the best hospitals in the country, it provides comprehensive remedies for hundreds of pediatric and adult cancers and their allied diseases. The center has done pioneering work in cancer research and clinical trials and has many FDA-approved remedies. Investigators at Dana-Farber led successful clinical trials for axi-cel therapy for follicular lymphoma. While the patients were not without adverse side effects, overall toxicity had been noted as lower than in prior trials. Aside from this, this top cancer hospital in the USA provides nutritional services, integrative therapies, and patient and family support services.
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Mayo is a top cancer hospital treatment and research center in the USA, offering life-saving therapies for the rarest and most aggressive pediatric and adult cases. They treat about 150,000 patients every year. The center runs multiple research programs to find solutions to prevent and cure cancer and has had multiple successes in finding new therapies and screening tools. If their cancers are not responding to chemotherapy, individuals can consult with their team of healthcare professionals and participate in early phase clinical trials. Patients must be able to travel to Arizona, Minnesota, or Florida, where Mayo Clinic’s Early Cancer Therapeutics centers are located, for an initial evaluation and clinical trial participation.
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Care Center at The John Hopkins Hospital
One of the best hospitals for cancer, the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Care Center works with the goal of reducing deaths because of the disease and improving the lives of survivors. The hospital provides top-notch evidence-based preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and customized cancer care. The center has 35 departments and five schools involved in research on the cause and growth of the disease, new prescription development, and proton therapy for adults and children. This top hospital for cancer care in the USA was among the first to perform bone marrow transplants to cure blood and immune-forming cancers. They have multiple programs that offer counseling, emotional support, temporary housing, and transportation for patients and their families.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
The Northwestern Memorial Hospital offers the benefits of world-class research and clinical trials to its patients. The hospital is one of the top cancer care centers in the USA and specializes in stem cell transplants. It is equipped with the latest technologies like image-guided radiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Also, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital is the only institute in Illinois with the facility of a full-field intraoperative MRI. This surgical technology provides high-quality, detailed imaging during procedures.