IL Med students...best cancer centers?

[kidmel45]

Wondering if you guys can help me out....one of my mom's good friends was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and now she's wondering where to go for treatment. I know the outlook isn't good, but what hospitals in the chicago area are good for cancer in general or pancreatic cancer treatment especially. I know Northwestern's Lurie cancer center is ranked high, but is it really that great?

Thanks in advance
kidmel45

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[PimplePopperMD]

There are several great cancer centers in and around Chicago; if it were me, I would go with a physician that I felt the best about, almost without regard to the place where he/she works. I don't have anyone or any place specifically in mind, but U of C, Northwestern, Loyola, UIC, all have good folks; I have a tendency toward academic centers, though that may be because i have less community experience.

I wish the patient and her loved ones all the best.

 

[nanato]

Pancreatic CA carries a very high mortality if it were my family member i would send them to Sloan (NYC) or MD Anderson (TX).
if you read annals of surgery, the majority of CA research published is from these institutions.... if it were something like colon ca i would go to a regular center but you need people who do 5-6 pancreatic ca cases a day/5 days a week/ year round...
some general surgeons to 2 whipples a year and try to convince you the surgery will go well.... quantity creats quality in this case.

 

[Annette]

I'd say it depends on what your mom's friend wants. If she wants to fight the cancer, then head to Sloan in New York. If she wants to go quietly, with friends and family around, a community hospital near her might be better (easier for friends and family to get to). Or, she may combine them as she wants. She should ask her doc about options.

If she wants to stay in Illinois, Loyola was very good to my uncle, who had oral cancer. U of Chicago maybe technically good, but my friends have not been treated well while in-patients.

 

[locitamd]

Hi kidmel45,
Sorry to hear about your mom's friend. I lost both my grandmother and aunt to pancreatic cancer, so I have a clue what her loved ones are going through. You might want to check out the Hopkins' PC website:

http://www.path.jhu.edu/pancreas/

they always seem to have the most up-to-date info regarding research and clinical treatment options.

Good luck to all,