The Cancer Treatment Centers of America are a network of four privately run hospitals—located in Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa, and suburban Phoenix—which focuses solely on treating cancer. They tout a comprehensive approach to cancer treatment, one that involves conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, to alternative treatments and everything in between, including diet and psychosocial support. This broadly integrated "whole-person cancer treatment" is referred to as the "Mother Standard of Care."
According to the story, CTCA was founded by Richard J Stephenson, whose mother was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1980s. Stephenson was so upset over his mother's care—namely that top treatment centers stressed the "clinical and technical aspects" of cancer care and neglected the individual—that he launched CTCA with the goal in mind of offering the treatment his mother never received.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America: Accredited?
CTCA's cancer hospitals are not associated with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) nor the NCI's network of comprehensive cancer centers . However, they enjoy accreditation from several prominent healthcare associations, although arguably the most important among them is the accreditation from the the Joint Commission, the body that inspects and rates US hospitals.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America: Complaints
To some, CTCA is better known as the target of the Federal Trade Commission. In fact the FTC has come after CTCA more than once.
In 1993, the FTC went after CTCA because the hospital network was advertising treatment success rates using various therapeutic modalities on several different cancers that were not only higher than the national average, but also ones that CTCA could not back up with any evidence. In 1996 CTCA reached a settlement with the FCC that said, in effect, that they would have to provide scientific evidence of any claims going forward.
In 2001, CTCA received a far more serious complaint, but one that has much to do with the complaint filed by the FTC in 1993. In 2001, the FDA sent CTCA a detailed and damning warning letter claiming that in three clinical trials, CTCA investigators "violated regulations governing the proper conduct of clinical studies involving investigational new drugs." The warning referred to three extremely small clinical studies being carried out by the CTCA.
The relationship this has with the previous FCC issue is thus: if CTCA produced scientific data from these protocols (none involving more than six patients), they could then extrapolate that into a treatment claim that they might make in an advertisement, thereby fulfilling the demands of the FCC but doing so in an extraordinarily underhanded manner.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America: Today
Commercials for CTCA remain astonishingly misleading. Not only do they skirt FTC demands by presenting individual experiences as potentially applying to everyone (even though they include a small disclaimer), including experiences from survivors of notoriously fatal cancers such as cancer of the pancreas, they also boast of having higher treatment success rates for difficult cancers than "the national averages".
This boast is most likely true, but only because "national averages" are dragged down by the substandard care given at hundreds if not thousands of community hospitals across the country. If CTCA were serious about putting their record up against the best, they would do so against the 21 treatment centers that make up the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
To be fair, the FTC holds the CTCA to different standards than it holds non-profit hospitals. While for-profit hospitals like CTCA must provide proof of any claims made in their advertisements, non-profit hospitals can currently make just about any claim they want to make, without having to back up that claim with a shred of scientific evidence.
Sources
CTCA: History
FTC: Complaint
FDA: Warning letter
Lymphoma Information Network: How Medical Centers Get Away with Murder
The complaints you raise PALE
The complaints you raise PALE in comparison to the misleading drug commercials and the BIG BUSINESS ploys promoted by other hospitals and "foundations".
Obfuscation by governmental agencies and cancer associations historically (and currently) is shameful... even to the point of manipulating cancer outcome statistics, eg, reporting, for statistical purposes, that the patient died of heart failure rather than cancer, when the chemo caused fatal cardiotoxicity.
If the FDA had actually carried on the job of protecting our food quality and supply, like the Board of Chemistry before it, we wouldn't be in this mess. Instead, they allowed the removal of germ and bran from flour, allowed iodine in bread to be replaced by bromination, and far more nefarious practices. They're apparently cozy with BigPharma, Monsanto, and food manufacturers.
BTW, I believe the CTCA in the Chicago area was originally American International Hospital. It had an honest reputation. I believe they worked with Amygdalin (a specific laetrile), as well as hyperthermia and other non-orthodox approaches.
The "mainstream" cancer organizations often try to discredit innovative cancer researchers by pretending to duplicate their research, but change protocols. For example, in humans, Amygdalin requires vitamins A and C to work. A is the "decloaking agent" (I'm obviously simplifying); C is needed because humans cannot synthesize it (most animals can). Original research in rodents used special rodents prone to mammary tumors, while the "duplicating" organizations used rodents with grafted tumors and did not use any adjuncts. THese were subtle, important changes with the intent to discredit.
Whatever the choice of providers, Caveat Emptor.
My husband with stage 4
My husband with stage 4 esphogeal cancer with mets in Liver was 'treated'at CTCA Philadelphia. Two surgical proceedures were HIGHLY stressed by the mirade of Drs.;SubClaven IV and Stomach Peg . BOTh resulted in multiple infections and pneumonia within 12 hours. My husband was left for over 30 days with NO rechecking of stomach peg, even though he had pain and the peg did NOT function. Once the 'feces l;ike substance ' was noted comong from the peg, 4 days later it was checked and found that Dr Ari Brooks had nipped the colon causing a fistula. EIGHT weeks of antobodics and NO CHEMO rersulted in NO chance for my husband to even consider survival.The CTCA sells there HOPE and COMPASSION at the price of NO facts mno prognosis that may allow a person to make choices...They can thrwo their starfish in the toilet and DO NOT be decieved by the TV commericals, as CTCA will stamp an expiration date on your foot,head, arm, back and derriere and profess to be compassionate. They have TOO many Internists, docotors and associates for any sane human being to keep track of.
My husband may or may not have survived , BUT he was given NO HOPE, NO care, NO follow up and died all to the tuine of in excess of ONE MILLION DOLLARS in an eight week period.
RESEARCH and discover before you fall in CTCA's TRAP.
"DR Dawn" explain Pasterella
"DR Dawn"
explain Pasterella Multicodia? How can a patient contact this infection as an in patient?
Explain WHY no prognosis is provided that would allow a sane human to make a PROPER choice of their remaining QUALITY of life in a STAGE 4 cancer issue?
explain WHy NO surgeon would follow up on proceedures ?
explain WHy no Dr or Internist would check a PEG tube when Pain, complications exist for over 30 days?
Explain FILTHY bed pans.
explain why everyday more drs and Intenists see an inpatient and never corrolate details?
Hope and Comapssion as only words at CTCA... REAL medical treatment and prognosis is NON existent