Not to be stubborn, but I still have a great deal of disquiet about blind faith in CCCs. Christine, you very kindly provided links to two news articles about outcomes at various institutions. I tracked down abstracts for those studies (couldn't get the full studies), and I don't read them as endorsing CCCs. Neither study abstract mentions CCCs, and neither concludes that CCCs are superior or more likely to follow NCCN guidelines.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.27976/abstract
Concludes that for HNC patients older than 66, high-volume hospitals provided nearly statistically significant gains in survival and that both high- and low-volume hospitals followed NCCN guidelines.

http://oto.sagepub.com/content/147/6/1083.abstract
Concluded that HNC survival rates are higher in academic institutions.

I'm guessing that these may not be the studies you had in mind -- Or is there something I'm missing here?

Please understand, I'm not anti-CCC; I just don't think any doc at any CCC is automatically better. My own experience is that choosing a CCC isn't enough:

-- It's essential to get at least one second opinion from another CCC or high-volume academic institution. There are major controversies in HNC treatment, particularly for HPV+, and the best docs can have widely varying perspectives.

-- No matter where you go, you should also choose the best doctors. Do your research before you call so that you can request the best doctors by name. Even CCCs have some docs who are stronger than others. Ask your GP, ENT or medically connected friends to recommend the top docs. Look at each docs publications -- Do they publish? Does his/her research show a predominant and recent interest in HNC? Do any of their publications concern your particular HNC? Is the doc in a leadership role at his/her institution or in national medical groups? All are signs that the doc is at the top of his/her field.

I think it's great to consult a CCC if at all possible, but I don't think people should rely solely on the CCC designation. Just my two cents --




53
T3N2aM0 HPV+
5/26/13 discovered painless superball-sized lymph node in neck
6/26/13 DX SCC R palatine tonsil
7/16/13 TORS tonsillectomy & selective ND, mets to 2 nodes
9/3/13 Cisplatin and rads begin, tolerated 1.5 of 3 planned chemo doses
10/16/13 Treatment ends
Dec 13 Ulcer appears at surgery site
Jan 17 Biopsy -- no cancer!
Feb 17 CT/PET Scan lights up tonsil bed & nasal cavity, docs say probably inflammation, don't panic, rescan when ulcer subsides