That statement reflects the services and treatments that would be available at any comprehensive cancer center. If you are at such a facility, they are at the top of the food chain in treatment and in the availability of clinical trials. NCCI facilities have to meet certain standards to be considered a member. Smaller hospitals have less involvement in clinical trials. This is not necessarily because of quality issues, but because they do not have the traffic flow of patients found in the large institutions. Any institution can refer you to another that has a treatment modality that they themselves do not offer. This however all too frequently brings up the financial issues of keeping a paying patient in the system vs. sending them out to someone else. We all like to think that decisions are made on the basis of what is best for the patient. In the real world, I am not always so sure.

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.