[quote=ChristineB]I did see your treatment facility on the list as CC. Maybe stepping up to a CCC would be something to look into???[/quote]
[quote=lvredrock]what is the classification of CCC and CC. This is the first time I have heard of it.[/quote]
As far as the National Cancer Institute is concerned, in terms of patient care there is no difference between an NCI-designated cancer center (CC) and an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center (CCC).

According to its mission statement, the NCI is the "federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training." As I've noted on these boards a few times over the years, it provides funding for research, and the terms "NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center" and "NCI-designated cancer center" represent research interests only -- not the quality or scope of patient care. Institutions choose to apply to the NCI for such designation, which involves a peer-review process and a lot of paperwork.

The NCI defines "comprehensive cancer center" differently from how the term is usually used on the OCF message boards. Here, it typically means an institution where a patient's treatment plan is devised by a multi-specialty team, taking a "comprehensive" approach, rather than the patient having to patch together a surgeon, a medical oncologist for chemo and a radiation oncologist -- along with other necessary personnel depending on the type of cancer -- and hope that they will communicate with one another.

In NCI-speak, designation of a facility as a "comprehensive cancer center" means that the institution is involved in three types of research: basic laboratory; clinical; and prevention, control and population-based science. All NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers also treat patients. An NCI-designated "cancer center" concentrates research in one or two of those areas; most also treat patients, though a few -- like the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia or the Salk Institute in San Diego -- do research only.

Further information is available here: http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/documents/CCSG_Guidelines.pdf -- see page 3 of the document (page 6 of the .pdf file) for the NCI's definitions of CC and CCC. For a look at how the application process works, see this timeline of the University of Kansas Cancer Center's quest for NCI designation -- you'll see how research-focused it is.

Finally, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the NCI-designated CC where lvredrock is now being treated, is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 23 leading U.S. cancer centers (two more were recently added -- UC San Diego and the University of Colorado) that together develop and annually update the state-of-the-art treatment protocols used by hospitals across the country, including the NCI-designated CCs and CCCs.