I've read in several posts on this forum that one should be treated at a CCC, which I believe stands for Comprehensive Cancer Center.

What is a CCC? How does it differ from the usual treatment centers?

In my case, being most of the way thru my radition treatment and not having chemo, it's too late, but I'm asking not only out of curiousity, but for the sake of others on the forum.

Pete

Comprehensive Cancer Centers are located all over the Globe. They are facilities where the treatment of Cancer, any kind, is their sole reason for existance. Some centers are famous and some more low profile and obscure. For instance, in the little town closest to me they have an oncologist, that comes on day a week and regular nurses in the little hospital give Chemo treatments, etc. They do not have a linear accelerator so rad therapy is not used. That would be a perfect example of a NON comprehensive entity.
Darrell

Follow this link to a list of NCI approved cancer centers, sorted by State
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/resources/cancer_centers.htm
For most, if not all, of the listed facilities, cancer treatment is by no means their only reason for existance.
Pete, In my opinion the biggest advantage I received from the CCC I was treated in is the coordination of care. Before being referred to the University of Chicago, I was the one who attempted to coordinate the EENT, Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist, dentist, etc. It was totally bewildering!
At a CCC these people are all working together, and more importantly, they meet regularly, usually at a "Tumor Board" to discuss your treatment and progress. I strongly believe that this approach contributed significantly to my success so far. Along with many others on this board, I cannot recommend this approach highly enough.

Chuck

It's actually more explicit than that:

About NCI:
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of eight agencies that compose the Public Health Service (PHS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The NCI, established under the National Cancer Act of 1937, is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training. The National Cancer Act of 1971 broadened the scope and responsibilities of the NCI and created the National Cancer Program. Over the years, legislative amendments have maintained the NCI authorities and responsibilities and added new information dissemination mandates as well as a requirement to assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice.

The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. Specifically, the Institute:

Supports and coordinates research projects conducted by universities, hospitals, research foundations, and businesses throughout this country and abroad through research grants and cooperative agreements.
Conducts research in its own laboratories and clinics.
Supports education and training in fundamental sciences and clinical disciplines for participation in basic and clinical research programs and treatment programs relating to cancer through career awards, training grants, and fellowships.
Supports research projects in cancer control.
Supports a national network of cancer centers.
Collaborates with voluntary organizations and other national and foreign institutions engaged in cancer research and training activities.
Encourages and coordinates cancer research by industrial concerns where such concerns evidence a particular capability for programmatic research.
Collects and disseminates information on cancer.
Supports construction of laboratories, clinics, and related facilities necessary for cancer research through the award of construction grants.

The following is a link describing the difference between a CCC and a "cancer center" (and also their locations).

http://www3.cancer.gov/cancercenters/description.html

According to NCI, there are currently 39 CCC's and 22 cancer centers.


About NCCN:
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of 19 of the world's leading cancer centers (they must consider the "worlds" leaders to be exclusively in the US), is an authoritative source of information to help patients and health professionals make informed decisions about cancer care. Through the collective expertise of its member institutions, the NCCN develops, updates, and disseminates a complete library of clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines are the STANDARD FOR CLINICAL POLICY IN ONCOLOGY. NCCN is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation

The NCCN member institutions (which are NOT found all over the globe) are:

City of Hope Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA
Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, Boston, MA
Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN
Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, CA
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL
UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.

As others have mentioned some of these have affiliations and satellite programs.

We ALWAYS recommend a CCC or cancer center for the very reason that Chuck mentioned - a coordinated team approach of seasoned, experienced, professionals. These aren't bunions we're dealing with here. This is an unforgiving disease that ANY mistake, in diagnosis and/or treatment, can easily cost you your life.

Gary, thank you for the very comprehensive overview of the system. With your permission I am going to incorporate it into the main body of the web site next week so that when this comes up, ( which we all know it routinely does) we can link right to the spot where all the explanation is. Nice job. If you want to add anytthing to it, jsut send it to me as as word doc or email and we'll have it all covered for the future. We do keep the guildlines ( as curent as they have been published) on the site, and this should be added to that section.