Cancer Treatment Centers of America?

feardafish · New User Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 2

Hello all,
my mother has just recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and both her and I are worried about the right place for her to be treated. Has anyone been or heard anything about Cancer Treatment Centers of America? We went there today and it seemed to be ok, it just seemed alittle like they were trying to sell you something...alittle scripted i guess. the doctor seemed alright though, and very optamistic (which im hoping is a good thing, and not just becuase he wants to make money off of us) the only reason i doubt it is becuase its hard to kno who to trust, and since he suggested surgeory, its not like theres room for a second chance. We went to the one in Illinois if that helps. Any help would be fantastic thx a bunch.

BFagan2067 · Experienced user Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 54

Hi I do not know of anyone who has been treated at any of these treatment centers.. a few questions though... how far do you live from this center? If she needs chemo and rads then the travel will mean something, especially radiation as that is a daily trip...Have you explored any of the hospitals, surgeons, oncologists in your area? You should not really feel that they are trying to sell you anything. You need a doc who your mom can work with, who answers all her questions and who is skilled at what they do.. get a second opinion if you feel the least bit uncomfortable about anything. Good luck to your mom and you!
_________________
Barbara
52, dx 11/98, stage IIIA
Lump 12/98 (5.2cm), MRM 1/99 (5+/28nodes)
A/C , RADS, Taxol
tomox. 2/99-6/00, arimidex 7/00-5/05

cjago · Regular Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

I just looked at the CTCA website and it looks a bit slick to me too....the thing that would concern me is that as well as scientific medical treatment, they appear to provide complementary therapies (mmmm, maybe) but also completely quack "treatments" like homeopathy. You would want to make sure that they weren't going to try to sell you this stuff all the time. Just my opinion from reading their website, I have no personal experience with them.

BFagan is definitely right that you want to choose somewhere which minimises your travel. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are tiring enough without a long journey - as BFagan says, it would be daily for radiotherapy.
_________________
adenocarcinoma of the breast, now widely metastatic (stomach, liver, pelvis, pancreas, bones, skin)
survived 11 years so far

bethanyaok

I don't personally know anyone who has received treatment at CTCA. I have also thought they're website and TV ads seem very slick, which puts up a red flag for me. My impression is that they make big promises, and I'm not sure their treatments are any more effective than what you can get any cancer center. These days many cancer centers can refer you to complimentary practioners to SUPPLEMENT (not replace) standard treatment. Also many of the treatments at CTCA are not covered by insurance and are very expensive. Your gut feeling was that the center you visited was trying to "sell" you something. Throughout my treatment, and my dad's treatment fpr cancer, I never had that feeling about the medical professionals I met. I always felt they were more focused on trying to treat my cancer in the best way possible. (Pay attention to your gut feelings and combine it with your research about cancer treatments to help your mom make her decision)

Watch out for therapies offering big promises which have no scientific basis, and are based on very subjective anecdotal stories. Quackwatch has information about some of these treatments and claims: http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/altseek.html
and how to determine for yourself if a treatment is "quackery". My opinion is that the best chance is offered by a comprehensive cancer center... The National Cancer Institute has this list of comprehensive cancer centers listed by state: http://www3.cancer.gov/cancercenters/centerslist.html

Take care, my thoughts are with you and your family during this challenging time.

Bethany
_________________
Bethany
breast cancer dx 4/17/00
4 AC, 28 rads, tamoxifen
7 years NED, and counting!
BRCA2+ 2/1/07

Lost Dad to Lung Cancer June '05

Robbie Robinson · New User Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 1

Hi feardafish: My name is Robbie Robinson and I have had experience with Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Four years ago in March of 2002 I was diagnosed with non hodgkins lymphoma. On the advice of my gastroenterologist (?) who had originally diagnosed me with "food amnesia" because none of the tests she gave me could explain my symptoms, I was sent to the St. Bernadine Cancer Center at Loyola Hospital and Medical School in Maywood, Il. to determine exactly what I had. After seeing an oncologist there after the normal weekly wait of getting an appointment, I was told by him that I might have non hodgkins or I might have pancreatic cancer. We set an appointment to do a needle biopsy in another week, then waiting another week to get the results, that were inconclusive, we set an appointment in another week to see a surgeon who scheduled an open laporoscopy for the next week to actually see my baseball size tumor and get a sample.
After waiting another 10 days for the results of that procedure I had finally had enough.
I was complaining to a friend about the lack of acknowledgement from anyone I had been to concerning the sense of urgency that everyone of us has who has been diagnosed with any kind of cancer, and he recommended that I call Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, Il. at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. I called the next morning and the following day I received an information packet from them delivered by FedEx. At last someone seemed like they understood the urgency that I felt.
I went to them to check it out and was confident in what I found. By the way, all of my films were lost at Loyola so I couldn't take them with me to CTCA. They told me not to worry, that they could take new films.
What did I find there that was so different from Loyola? I found somewhere that understood that time is everything when you're dealing with cancer. I found somewhere that gave me back a sense of control in this crazy maze of cancer. They let me decide when I would get my treatment of chemo after explaining all my options to me. They offered to treat all aspects of my battle with cancer including nutrition so that I would be as strong as possible in order to fight back. They offered to treat my psychological approach with learning new tools that I could use such as imaging in visually seeing myself beating cancer. They also offered ways for me to manage the inevitable pain that comes with cancer and it treatment.
There approach is to treat the whole person not just the disease because the stronger I am in every aspect of dealing with this disease, the better fighter I will be. Most of all they gave me hope. There is so much negativity and disillusionment in the dealing with cancer that any positive feedback you can get, you take it if you want to stay alive.
Yes they are aggresive in their desire to spread the word that you don't have to live a life of poor me I've got cancer!
Every body has to make their own decisions on who they are going to trust with their battle against cancer and I don't regret for one minute of making the decision I did about going to CTCA. Nobody saves everybody. It's just the sad fact of life. But who would you rather have on your side in this battle, someone who ignores your sense of urgency and just tells you what to do, or someone who is as determined as you are to beat cancer using every legitimate tool whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. And yes they are not afraid to pray right along with you if that's what it takes to get the job done. I could go on and on about how much I love CTCA for doing what they did for me. I joined their volunteer program called Cancerfighters. So now I speak up where needed, I walk the cancer walks where needed, I talk to other people through their patient to patient network. I do whatever I can to give back what they did for me. I don't get paid to do this. My daughter said to me "Dad I couldn't do what you do, telling others about CTCA like you do. What if someone goes there and doesn't make it. I told her that was a chance I was willing to take because the bigger sin would be of not telling someone about somewhere where they might actually find hope and a fighting chance. I can deal with someone not making it if they did all they could, but I would have a hard time dealing with knowing someone died without having so much as some hope and dignity.
There is a map of the United States on a wall at CTCA showing where people are coming from. It should make you wonder why so many people are willing to go the distance when they could get chemo and radiation pretty much anywhere. It's because of the hope and believe that you get out of them when so many other medical professionals have given up on them in their own back yard.
If anyone wants my opinion or pick my brain about CTCA, just email me at manumitman2@aol.com. I am not a paid spokesperson for CTCA, just a cancerfighter who's forever thankful that someone told me to give them a call and see what I thought.

topztkru12345 · New User Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

I call very same clinic in Zion, IL about midnight three days ago. I got call back in 24 hours very nice call and very good conversation. Then, I was told all good and promising things.... After all, my insurance covers only 70% (clinic out of network). The facility is NOT working with BCBSH PPO MI. They want $125,000 (one hundred twenty five thousand) up front payment and additional same amount in reserve. I know, my health cost more, but I simple don't have this kind of money. So, ACS lost interest on me. No more calls. I call back, but they can’t work with me. End of story.

If somebody use energy test kit, please share experience.

Lialia

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