Frequently Asked Questions
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- What is your treatment philosophy?
- Tell me more about your experts and your treatment approach.
- Why would I leave the care of referred doctors and hospitals, possibly traveling hundreds of miles for cancer treatment?
- What will be my role in my cancer treatment?
- Why try new, perhaps unfamiliar, therapies?
- What is the environment like at your centers?
What is your treatment philosophy?
We don't just treat your cancer—we treat all of you. We believe that all patients should be treated like our own family members. Recognizing this distinction affects everything we do. We provide you with options that target your cancer as precisely as possible, strategically tailored to your individual cancer type and unique situation. A team of specialists collaborate on your individual treatment plan, integrating established and leading-edge medical treatments, as well as complementary therapies like nutritional therapy, naturopathic medicine, physical therapy, mind-body medicine and spiritual support.
Tell me more about your experts and your treatment approach.
Our care team includes medical, surgical, gynecologic, and radiation oncologists as well as nutritionists, naturopathic practitioners, oncology-certified nurses, internists, physical therapists, mental health specialists, clergy and more. If it suits your treatment philosophy, we also offer the expert services of chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners as well. Our specially-trained mind-body counselors bring compassion and understanding to the fears, anger, and anxiety of cancer patients and their loved ones. Your care team will be intimately familiar with both you and your medical history. You and your family will be a part of our family—just one advantage of our limited size and integrated treatment philosophy.
Why would I leave the care of local physician and hospital, possibly traveling hundreds of miles for cancer treatment?
Cancer patients come to us from across the nation, many discouraged by the treatment they’ve received elsewhere. For them, the decision to come to Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a refusal to be further victimized – either by their cancer or by the treatment of it. Because many were not only victims of cancer, they were also victimized by a lack of information, a feeling of isolation, helplessness and an intense frustration with the process and the progress they were making against their disease. As a CTCA patient, you will understand right away that this is a different kind of treatment program.
It is not only our approach to treating cancer, it's the way we treat you that puts us in a class of our own. How many times have you had a blood test, X-ray or respiratory exam, and had to wait a week or more for the results? We'll get you most of your results within 48 hours, and usually sooner. How many times have you been awakened at 1:00 a.m. to be given a sleeping pill? Or a 6:00 a.m. blood draw? Our physicians, nurses and staff work within your schedule—not the other way around. In short, no one provides more care—and cares more—than we do. We have unflinching confidence that our difference is so dramatic that once you get to know us better, you'll wish you would have come sooner.
What will be my role in my cancer treatment?
Patients attracted to Cancer Treatment Centers of America are incredibly knowledgeable about their cancer. Here, that knowledge is engaged in executing the battle plan. As a pioneer in patient-empowerment medicine, the active participation of patients and their caregivers and families in the treatment process is key. Together, through continuous dialogue, examination and evaluation, our treatment of patients merges with treatment by patients. As you make decisions about your treatment, you'll develop more confidence in its success. With that confidence comes reduced levels of stress and a reinforced immune system – the most powerful curative agent of all.
Why try new, perhaps unfamiliar, therapies?
Why not enlist every possible cancer-fighting tool in your fight against cancer? While other programs rely on a narrow spectrum of isolated treatments, we constantly push the envelope to find the best combination of approved therapies for your particular cancer. In fact, many of the nation's other leading cancer facilities are just beginning to embrace the whole-person approach we've been perfecting for 25 years. Ironically, this does not mean higher doses of invasive treatments. In fact, lower doses of radiation and chemotherapy may cause fewer side effects when administered with advanced technology in patients whose immune systems are adequately supported.
What is the environment like at your centers?
In a word – different. Our comprehensive care is delivered in a welcoming environment of support and compassion designed to help you relax and stay focused on healing. Our cancer centers don't look or feel like a typical hospital. Architecturally, we seek to look, feel and smell less like a hospital and more like a home. Cancer Treatment Centers of America facilities have been designed by people like you, our patients. Here, you'll discover a closeness of patients, staff and family that's simply not found in any other treatment center.
