I have a couple of questions for those of you who have gone to MD Anderson and do not live in Houston.

My Doctor wants me to consider a prevention trial there and when I was talking to the girl on the phone - they have scheduled my appointment but want me to stay for 5 to 7 business days. They also got all of my insurance information etc (luckily I think this is considered in network for this insurance plan).

My questions: Where did you stay and what was the rate when you went there? (Would you stay at this place again? - Did you feel safe - I'd likely be by myself without a car for those days)

When you were at Anderson, did you participate in a trial - or were you a regular patient? - Or do you know if you have to be registered as their patient in order to participate in a trial there? This was unclear on the phone with the lady and I have to speak with someone who works in the oral cancer prevention office this week.

If you were in a trial - which one?

If you went and had the whole workup - the 5-7 day stay: What did they do? What tests did they do? What happened during the 5 to 7 days.

Do you know anything about the oral cancer prevention program at MD Anderson?

I do not have active cancer right now (At least not that I know of), but just had a pre-cancer thing removed less than 2 weeks ago.

Any information is helpful.

Thank you,
Amy M.

Amy - I don't know the answers to your questions about the trials, but I can give you some input on places to stay. I had my surgery at MDA and also go there for my F/U visits every 3 months. If I can get in, I've found that the best place to stay is at the Rotary House Hotel - it is on site and connected to MDA with a bridge, and only takes patients for MDA. It is run by Marriott but their rates are discounted - it's less than $100 a night for a regular room, and they also have rooms with kitchenettes for a little more - go to this link for more info: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/rotaryhouse/ The only problem is that it's sometimes hard to get a reservation if you don't make far enough in advance. I have also stayed at the Marriott Hotel that's close by and the Marriott Courtyard. Both of these have shuttle service to MDA but are more pricey.
MDA also has a travel agency and a complete page of travel information on their website at http://www.mdanderson.org/patients_...-AEBD00508BDCCE3A&method=displayFull

Hope this helps a little....