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Cancer Treatment Centers of America

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Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)
Geography
LocationUnited States
Organization
Care systemPrivate
TypeSpecialist
Services
SpecialityCancer
History
Opened1988
Links
Websitewww.cancercenter.com
ListsHospitals in the United States

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, is a national, for-profit network of five comprehensive cancer care and research centers and three out patient care centers that serves cancer patients throughout the United States. CTCA follows an integrative approach to cancer care that uses conventional approaches like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy to treat the cancer, while also offering integrative therapies to help manage side effects like pain, nausea, fatigue, lymphedema, malnutrition, depression and anxiety.

CTCA was originally headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. In January 2015, the corporate office was moved to Boca Raton, Florida, and was renamed Cancer Treatment Centers of America Global, Inc.[1]

History


Early Years

Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) was founded in 1988 by Richard J Stephenson following the death of his mother, Mary Brown Stephenson, who passed away from Lung Cancer. After his mother's diagnosis, Richard and his family searched for the most advanced and effective cancer treatments available but were not satisfied with what was available. Richard, after his mother’s passing, vowed to advance cancer care.[2]

Richard purchased the American International Hospital in Zion, Illinois in 1988 and expanded the hospital to include a radiation center called Mary Brown Stephenson Radiation Oncology Center in honor of his mother. Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion served as the CTCA’s first location. With Richard as chairman of the board, the cancer program became one of the first in the country to offer a full range of treatment services—surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as immunotherapy, nutrition, mind-body medicine and spiritual support all under one roof.[3]

Expansion

CTCA formally opened its second hospital on May 7, 1990 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The hospital was located in the CityPlex Towers, which were constructed by Oral Roberts as part of the City of Faith hospital. Fifteen years later, on April 29th, 2005, CTCA Tulsa relocated from CityPlex Towers operations to a newly constructed 195,845-square-foot hospital located in Tulsa to support expanding patient needs. During its construction, feedback from cancer patients and family members were incorporated into the interior and exterior designs of the facility.[4]

In 2004, Cancer Treatment Centers of America purchased the former Parkview hospital in Northeast Philadelphia. After renovating 104,000 square feet and adding an additional 81,000 square feet for future expansion[5], CTCA opened the Philadelphia location on December 19, 2005. With a total of 200,025 square-foot facility, the Philadelphia location became CTCA’s first hospital on the east coast.

Hospital expansion continued again in October 2007 when CTCA broke ground on a new facility in Goodyear, Arizona. During its construction, about 300 cancer survivors, signed a commemorative steal beam called the “Beam of Hope” at Hohokam Stadium (the spring training park for the Chicago Cubs).[6] After signing, the beam was taken back to the hospital and incorporated into facility. Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Phoenix opened its doors to a 210,000-square-foot hospital on December 29, 2008 servicing patients primary from the west coast.

To reduce burden from patient travel, CTCA continue to explore opportunities in the southeast portion of the United States. On August 3, 2011, Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and over 140 cancer patients attended a ground-breaking ceremony in Newnan, Georgia.[7] During the hospital’s construction, on the 100-day countdown, a collection of patients, caregivers, spiritual representatives and staff participated in a ceremony writing inspirational messages over the floor to signify the beginning.[8] On September 18, 2012, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Atlanta opened its doors to patients.

Outpatient Expansion

In 2017, Cancer treatment Centers of America expended it’s network and opened up three “outpatient care centers” near their primary hospital locations. These are located in Downtown Chicago, North Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona.

Key Dates

Year Event
1988 Richard J Stephenson purchase American International Hospital and founds Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
1988 The Mary Brown Stephenson Radiation Oncology Center expansion opens in CTCA Chicago.
1990 CTCA expanded to CityPlex Towers and opened Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Tulsa.
2005 CTCA Tulsa relocates to a new 195,845 square foot hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
2005 CTCA opened Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Philadelphia.
2008 CTCA opened Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Phoenix.
2012 CTCA opened Cancer Treatment Centers of America Atlanta.
2015 CTCA expanded internationally with a concierge office in Mexico City.
2017 CTCA opened three outpatient care centers located in Downtown Chicago, North Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona.

Locations

Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) serves cancer patients across the United States and abroad through a network of five comprehensive cancer care and research centers (hospitals) and three outpatient cancer care centers. Each cancer hospital has earned accreditations and certifications from the Joint Commissions[9], American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer[10], and National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers[11] and is an active participate in clinical trial[12] and TAPUR[13] research studies.

CTCA Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Centers (Hospitals)

  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Atlanta (formerly Southeastern Regional Medical Center)
  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Chicago (formerly Midwestern Regional Medical Center)
  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Philadelphia (formerly Eastern Regional Medical Center)
  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Phoenix (formerly Western Regional Medical Center)
  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Tulsa (formerly Southwestern Regional Medical Center)

CTCA Outpatient Cancer Care Centers

  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Downtown Chicago
  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, North Phoenix
  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Scottsdale


CTCA opened the organization’s first international patient concierge and information office in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood of Mexico City on April 20, 2015. CTCA also maintains an active brand presence in the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America, offering patients in these regions the opportunity to pursue treatment at one of the hospital system’s five U.S. comprehensive cancer care and research centers.

Accreditation

CTCA hospitals have earned Full Standards Compliance from the Joint Commission, as well as the Top Performer on Key Quality Measures and the Magnet Award. CTCA has also been recognized for strong patient satisfaction scores, with four CTCA hospitals (Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa) earning Five Star quality ratings by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and recognition by various leading health care organizations, including the Association of Community Cancer Centers and the American College of Radiology.

Another accreditation comes from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, which has awarded three-year full accreditations for the breast programs at four CTCA hospitals (Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tulsa). The NABPC has established 27 standards that must be met, including: breast center leadership, research, community outreach, professional education, clinical management and quality improvement.

Clinical Services

Cancer Treatment Centers of America offers conventional cancer care treatments such as surgical oncology, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell transplantation, and targeted therapy in conjunction with supportive therapies such as nutrition, mind-body medicine, and spiritual support to support healing and manage side effects. When appropriate, CTCA will offer genomic testing to patients to identify tumor markers that may respond to chemotherapies that may have not been typically prescribed.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America also provide cancer specific centers for the following diseases at select locations:

  • Breast Cancer
  • Lung Cancer
  • Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers

In addition, Cancer Treatment Centers of America offers several clinical trials at all five of their hospitals and is an active participate in studies offered through clinicaltrials.gov program. In 2016, CTCA offered the TAPUR study also known as the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry study. This was led by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).[14] The study aimed to improve our understanding of how commercially available anti-cancer drugs perform on a broader range of cancers, by matching the drugs to tumors with specific genomic mutations that the drugs are designed to target.

Controversy

  • Cancer Treatment Centers of America was the subject of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint in 1993. The FTC alleged that CTCA made false claims regarding the success rates of certain cancer treatments in CTCA's marketing and promotional materials. This claim was settled in March 1996 with an injunction, requiring CTCA to discontinue use of any unsubstantiated claims in its advertising.[15] CTCA is also required to have proven, scientific evidence for all statements regarding the safety, success rates, endorsements, and benefits of its cancer treatments. CTCA was also required to follow various steps in order to report compliance to the FTC per the settlement. The injunction expired in 2016 with no violations over the 20 year period. [16]
  • In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued CTCA a Warning Letter concerning three clinical trials that were conducted in violation of FDA requirements.[17] The FDA currently has no warning letters published on its website for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. [18]
  • In 2013, oncologist David Gorski, writing for Science Blogs, published an article that criticized CTCA for using pseudoscientific treatments (e.g., homeopathy) in addition to mainstream treatments. He stated that some "otherwise talented doctors" are now "complicit in the blurring of the line between science and pseudoscience in medicine while believing that they are doing good for the patient by giving them 'holistic care'."[19] The National Cancer Institute (NCI) claims that some complementary therapies (CAM) have undergone careful evaluation and have been found to be safe and effective. [20] Patients considering CAM therapies should talk to a licensed clinician to ensure there are no complications and unintended consequences with their treatment.
  • It was reported that CTCA made misleading survival rate claims on its website. Cancer experts reviewed CTCA's claims that its survival rates were better than national averages. CTCA compared its outcomes with the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The experts said that CTCA's patients and SEER's patients were not compatible, and that the comparison was biased in favor of CTCA. For example, CTCA's patients were younger, and better-insured. CTCA screened patients for insurance coverage, and limited access to those who are on Medicare, Medicaid, or uninsured.[21] Additional details on CTCA treatment results on methodology and sources of information can be found on the issued CTCA treatment results publication. [22]
  • L. Kirk Hagen, humanities professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, points out that in CTCA's Web site is a disclaimer that reads "[The CTCA] makes no claims about the efficacy of specific treatments, the delivery of care, nor the meaning of the CTCA and SEER analysis."[23]

References

  1. ^ "Media Kits for Journalists: CTCA".
  2. ^ "Cancer Treatment Centers of America: History". cancercenter.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. : Encyclopedia.com". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  4. ^ "History of CTCA in Tulsa, OK". cancercenter.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Cancer Treatment Centers of America Eastern Regional Medical Center : Turner Construction Company". turnerconstruction.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  6. ^ "History - CTCA Phoenix". camcercenter.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Cancer Treatment Centers of America Breaks Ground on Georgia Hospital With Hundreds of Patients, Community". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Patients, caregivers and spiritual community to lay foundation of new Cancer Treatment Centers of America hospital with blessings, May 5". patch.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Find Organizations that have achieved the gold seal of approval from The Joint Commission". www.qualitycheck.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "Search on Commission on Cancer (CoC) Hospital Locator". www.facs.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "Searching for NAPBC-Accredited Centers". www.facs.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "ClinicalTrials.gov Home Page". www.clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  13. ^ "Facilities Offering ASCO TAPUR Study". www.tapur.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "ASCO Official Website". www.asco.org. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  15. ^ "Companies That Purport to Successfully Treat Cancer Agree to Settle FTC Charges over Their Claims" (Press release). Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 13 March 1996. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  16. ^ "Federal Trade Commission Search Results on Claim 922 3308". Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  17. ^ Warning Letter to: Lloyd A. Shabazz, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (FDA Warning Letter), Public Health Service; Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, US Dept. of Health and Human Services, February 23, 2001, retrieved 29 January 2014.
  18. ^ "FDA Warning Letter Search". Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  19. ^ Gorski, David (7 October 2013). "Cancer Treatment Centers of America: Revisiting the epitome of "integrative" cancer care". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) - National Cancer Institute". www.cancer.gov. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  21. ^ Chesanow, Neil (4 December 2014). "Is Cancer Hospital Advertising Misleading Patients?". Medscape. Medscape Business of Medicine. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Cancer Treatment Statistics and Results". www.cancercenter.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  23. ^ Hagen, L. Kirk (2016). "The State of Tumortown". Skeptic. Vol. 21, no. 4. p. 45. ISSN 1063-9330. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
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