Hello all,

I am posting this time on behalf of one of our family's close friends that lives in Medford. She just found out yesterday that she has SCC after a metastatic node in her neck was removed. I hope she is going to get to a CCC asap. Are there any recommended CCC's in the area? She is seeing her doctor tomorrow, is my age, and she and her family are scared. She and her family were very supportive when I went through treatment in 2008. I am unsure of her insurance situation but hope to speak to her soon. Either she or a member of her family will join the group or I will continue to post on her behalf. Thanks for the help, once again. This forum is so incredibly valuable to those who are in need. Thanks for being here.

u should know how scary of a place that diagnosis is. encourage her family members to join this group. but please do keep us posted on her.
my best wishes go out to her and her family.
great news on your clear PET!!

I'm sure you will make sure she gets the proper information.

Check this out for possible CCC's

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/resources/cancer_centers.htm

Congrats on your recovery.

Was/is she a tobacco user?

Where is her Primary?

Have they Staged her?

David,
Thanks for the response.Your input is always appreciated. I will get much more information today. She was not a tobacco user, I suspect HPV, which was the same cause as my own. Either she, myself, or another of her friends or family will post later today after her meeting with the Dr. where she will get staging information etc. Thanks again,

Folks,
I have a question. David provided a link to CCC's from the OCF above.

My question is that I was treated at Stanford and consider that a good place to have sought treatment. When I talk to folks I have been telling them that there are two good CCC's in the Bay Area, UCSF and Stanford. What is the feeling of the group as Stanford is not listed in the CCC link? Also, as Stanford was not listed, might there be other suitable places to seek treatment nearer to Medford? Always appreciate the input.
Thanks,

Hopefully Brain can respond to that question.

Frank
Stanford is a NIH Designated Cancer Center.

The OCF list only contains NIH Designated COMPREHENSIVE Cancer Centers.

I am not sure what it is that Stanford has elected not to do that prevents it from holding the CCC designation, but A NIH designation CC has a scientific agenda that is primarily focused on laboratory, population science, or clinical research, or some combination of these three components.

A NIH designated CCC generally does all the above (substantially bridges these three scientific areas) and provides professional and public cancer education along with providing clinical cancer treatment and advances to the community it serves.

Almost all NIH designated CCC are University Medical Schools/Hospitals.

There are many other excellent accredited cancer centers that primarily just provide treatment (not research, education, etc..) and these may be closely affiliated with a NIH CC or CCC. But, unless you know otherwise, it is always best to refer to major NIH centers that treat numerous OC patients.

Frank --

See this thread from 2007 about Stanford, which at that time was not a NCI-designated cancer center or comprehensive cancer center -- but was (and still is) a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 20+ top cancer centers across the country that devises the annual state-of-the-art treatment protocols.

The thread explains what designation by the National Cancer Institute (not NIH) means and what the difference is between NCI-designated "cancer centers" and "comprehensive cancer centers." NCI designation has to do only with research (since NCI is a significant source of research funding), NOT patient care. And, as Gary notes in the thread, institutions choose to apply to NCI for designation as a cancer center or comprehensive cancer center -- not every facility may want to go through all the paperwork.

Since that thread was published, Stanford has become an NCI-designated cancer center. The most up-to-date list of NCI-designated centers is here. (The OCF list linked in one of the posts above has not been updated; that's why Stanford is not listed.)

On these boards, the term "comprehensive cancer center" or CCC has a different meaning from the research-specific definition of the NCI designation. It is typically used here to describe a facility that treats cancer using a team approach, bringing in medical personnel from a variety of specialties to weigh in on each case. This "comprehensive" approach is designed to ensure that the various specialists work closely together and are aware of what other team members are doing. Because head & neck cancers can affect so many vital functions, it's critical to have everyone involved on the same page.

Don --

Just FYI, the OCF list of NCI-designated centers includes both "cancer centers" and "comprehensive cancer centers" (as defined in the NCI designation).

But for our purposes, the difference between the two is irrelevant, since all of the NCI-designated facilities -- except for a very few, such as the Wistar Institute or the Salk Institute, which are research-only and do not treat patients directly -- use a team approach typical of a CCC.

Frank, the Hospital I went to after being at Ohio State James Comprehensive Cancer Center Center , in Wheeling WVa was designated a CCC after they took care of Cancer that OSU missed. They have an Oncologist that has been offered positions in many big name Hospitals in the East and across the country to the west. I wouldn't trade this Dr for any of the others I saw for the 8 months before he took charge od me and did what needed done. One never knows but can have that gut feeling like I did. I would say make sure they are up to what you expect and go for them. I'm glad I listened to intuition and not publicity. I would have been dead a year or more ago without this Oncologist. He likes the smaller Hospital and is one that has been gaining in reputation in the cancer Community.

Medford OR is not too far away from Seattle. University of WA Medical Center is ranked 4th in cancer treatment in the country by US News and World report and 12th in their Head and Neck department.

Dr. Neil Futran is the head of their Otolaryngology dept and is both an excellent surgeon and a good guy. My tumor board was held at the UW and the treatment protocols handed down to my local medical team. Both of my surgeries were done at the UWMC. Where the bedside manner wasn't the greatest...I'm still breathing today because of the efforts of the staff there. I'm a bit further out then Medford (Idaho) and it's only a 45 min flight or a 6.5 hour drive to the facility.