Specialists at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide the expertise needed to guide cancer treatment.
While a new cancer diagnosis may feel like an emergency that requires making quick decisions, one of the first things a patient should do is take a step back and consider where to go for cancer treatment and which cancer centers have the right specialists.
“It can feel overwhelming, but it’s important that cancer patients take ownership of their diagnosis and determine who should be on their cancer care team,” said Dr. Cathy Eng, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
By assembling the best treatment team at the beginning, patients ensure they can receive the most advanced and appropriate treatments for their specific diagnosis. This starts with finding out what type of doctors should be included and — depending on the type of cancer — who will lead the team.
Choosing an expert cancer team
“You want to be sure you have a good rapport with your doctor and have all the pieces in place to develop a strategic plan for your treatment,” Eng said.
One important step in that process is consulting with an oncologist who focuses on your specific type of cancer.
Eng encourages patients to look for a specialist at one of the 71 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Earning NCI designation assures patients that the center has been reviewed by its peers and found to demonstrate exceptional levels of research expertise and clinical trial enrollment.
“Physicians who practice at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers can subspecialize and stay up to date on the most current treatment recommendations in very specific areas.”
Physicians at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers often focus their research and patient care on specific types of cancer, giving them deep knowledge in those areas.
“There are many excellent community practice physicians, but they can’t be experts in every kind of cancer. Physicians who practice at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers can subspecialize and stay up to date on the most current treatment recommendations in very specific areas,” Eng said.
A collaborative approach to finding the best cancer center
Julie Schaum, M.S., the senior director for research administration at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, agreed, and added that patients should look for a cancer center that champions collaboration.
“If we don’t have a clinical trial that a patient needs, our physician is going to refer them out to any of our sister institutions,” Schaum said. “We’re here to save lives — not anything else.”
“If we don’t have a clinical trial that a patient needs, our physician is going to refer them out to any of our sister institutions. We’re here to save lives — not anything else.”
For patients who don’t live near an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, it may be possible for their oncologists to develop a comprehensive cancer care plan in conjunction with their local doctors, allowing them to be treated at facilities close to home. Collaboration to find what is best for the patient is the top priority.
“When you think about the cancer care team, it’s not just specialists at the NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center or the doctors in the community. It’s all of us working together to achieve the best outcome for the patient,” Eng said.
In summary, Eng and Schaum offered some tips for what to look for when searching for the best cancer care:
- NCI designation
- Cancer centers with clinical trial access
- Expertise in your specific type of cancer
- Care teams that are willing to create collaborative, individualized care to fit your needs
Making Cancer Care Personal
The expert team at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center provides the right diagnosis, the right treatment, at the right time, tailored to each patient. As a NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest ranking by the world’s leading authority on cancer, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is the only one in Tennessee that conducts research and cares for adults and children with cancer, combining advanced research, technology and techniques, and personalized, compassionate care.
