My father has CANCER! HELP!

[Googer]

We just learned a two days ago my father had a 10cm (4in) tumor in his colon and it has spread to his liver. WE ARE SEEKING TREATMENT ASAP and need to know who the 10 best cancer specialists in the world are. Money and travel are no boundaries to us. Where are the worlds best cancer centers for fast quality proven care?


Have you ever known anyone close to you that survived cancer? If so, what did they do to survive; who did they see and where did they go? Are there any new drug trials or treatments? Descriptive details are appreciated.



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Thank you and bless all of you.

 

[MisterJackson]

Good luck friend....but it sounds like you need to take a deep breath.

 

[GTaudiophile]

 

[sniperruff]

NYC's Memorial Sloan Kettering is pretty good I think. Im sorry to hear that man =(

 

[GagHalfrunt]

MD Anderson Center in Austin Texas
Sloan-Ketterling in New York
Johns Hopkins in Maryland

Good luck.

 

[Slick5150]

Yeah, you need to slow WAY down here. There is no "top 10" list of cancer doctors regardless of money. Different doctors specialize in different types of cancer research and treatment. Just talk to the local doctors, meet with some local support groups, and you'll find out quickly what your treatment options are.

Good luck.

 

[DaWhim]

mayo clinic?

 

[GTaudiophile]

The German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg: http://www.dkfz.de/index.html

I'm sorry to read that it hit his liver. That is terrible

I suggest seeking the best treatment you can...

But I also suggest that you make sure his personal affairs and will are in order. Is treatment what he wants? Or what you want? Have you told him everything you wanted to say? Are there things he has always wanted to do?

Yes, take a deep breath, calm yourself, start asking these questions, take one step at a time, and remember it is okay to cry, and it okay to love and to grieve.

 

[Googer]

We're looking for Names of Doctors with great success and knowledge in this area, the top .1%. Travel to Europe, Japan, or India is not too out of the question.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: Slick5150
Yeah, you need to slow WAY down here. There is no "top 10" list of cancer doctors regardless of money. Different doctors specialize in different types of cancer research and treatment. Just talk to the local doctors, meet with some local support groups, and you'll find out quickly what your treatment options are.

Good luck.

Don't mean to cause a debate in this type of thread but I'm sure there are top medical centers in our country that have a huge success rate with cancer.

I have no familiarity with cancer but definitely giving this a bump. Good luck to your father. Hope everything turns out a-okay.

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
MD Anderson Center in Houston Texas

*fixt

 

[Fritzo]

Start here....

And yes, I agree you sound like you're in a panic. Learn about what you're dealing with first, then look at your options.

 

[Slew Foot]

Dude, there's no such thing as the top .1% of cancer doctors. There's too much subjectivity to rank anything. Besides, many people like to pad their numbers by shifting the difficult patients to other people. Find some guy you like who has good experience and that you feel comfortable with.

 

[SludgeFactory]

I don't know any specific doctors, but M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston TX is top notch.

For colorectal surgery, Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are big time. Mayo also highly rated for cancer.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Start here....

And yes, I agree you sound like you're in a panic. Learn about what you're dealing with first, then look at your options.

Of course he's in a panic. His father has cancer. I would be in a huge panic myself..

 

[Miramonti]

Very sorry to hear.

He's definitely in need of surgery quickly, as it can burst the colon, not to mention what it might be doing to his liver. It will be a tough treatment and recovery process, but it is survivable.

 

[SludgeFactory]

FWIW:

US News hospital rankings, cancer

US News hospital rankings, digestive disorders

 

[Miramonti]

And take others' advice...chill out. Your dad needs stable positive people around him now, not people who are freaking out or going to freak out. Stay strong, offer your strength to him...you're not the victim of cancer, he is and needs your positive support.

 

[Tiamat]

Good luck. unfortunately, I don't have any success stories as my grandmas cancer spread from colon to lymph and bone marrow

NYC Kettering, JHU are good

Best Wishes

 

[LookingGlass]

Originally posted by: jjsole
And take others' advice...chill out. Your dad needs stable positive people around him now, not people who are freaking out or going to freak out. Stay strong, offer your strength to him...you're not the victim of cancer, he is and needs your positive support.

 

[PHiuR]

best wishes my brother.

 

[djheater]

My Dad died of esophageal cancer in Nov. 2005, he was diagnosed in Jul. 2005 (about 4 months).
You need to find out the specific cancer, the rates of survival after having spread to another organ, and what the treatement options for that cancer are.

That's the first step. then you can find doctors that specialize in that type of treatment. cancer has different discreet treatments for each type and for each organ. Take as much time off of work as you can and devote it to helping your father. Spend as much time with him as you can. Neither of you will regret it in the long run.

Be honest with yourself. There's no need to share the honesty with him, btw, but you need to be completely honest with yourself.

Best of luck, take things one step at a time, PM me if you'd like, I'm happy to talk.

~edit
BTW - the whole "staying positive" stuff is not proven. cancer is a bitch, it kills and maims, staying "positive" doesn't change that. Digging in, doing the work, persevering, and being extremely lucky is what helps cancer victims in my opinion. Attitude has little to do with it. Feel free to be royally pissed off, and don't be surprised if your father is.

 

[Nitemare]

Sorry to hear that, lost my Aunt last year to lung cancer.

Probably, the best stuff is in Europe now. The FDA kind of limits all cutting edge technology in the US.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: LookingGlass

Originally posted by: jjsole
And take others' advice...chill out. Your dad needs stable positive people around him now, not people who are freaking out or going to freak out. Stay strong, offer your strength to him...you're not the victim of cancer, he is and needs your positive support.

I don't believe this statement to be true. Telling the OP to "Chill out" isn't helping anything. Maybe relax, take a few deep breaths, and explore the options is more like it. Telling someone to chill out is like saying that to someone that is on an anger path ready to kill. Also, the OP is a victim of cancer as it directly affects him as well.

By the way djheather, Great advice all around. I'm sorry to hear about your father. I'm not close to my father so I wouldn't know what it feels like but if it were my mother or my three sisters, my brother in law, or my nephews or nieces, I would be hearbroken. More so if it were my sisters and mother.

 

[grohl]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Probably, the best stuff is in Europe now. The FDA kind of limits all cutting edge technology in the US.

Uhh, sorry, but the US still delivers leading-edge health care better than the whole world. Limits cutting edge technology? Heard of thalidomide?

Anyway, all of the major cancer centers are very good. Major centers offer trials for experimental therapy, both a good and bad thing, since advanced cancers are frequently not curable. Sounds like he has stage 4 disease (out of 4) which is a very serious prognosis.

Remember, "top ten" doctors are frequently rated by dumb stuff like how much NIH research dollars they get and is probably neither has the time nor the interest to carry on a long conversation with a family - frequently this is the job of the resident and fellow on the team.

I would favor a well-known oncologist in the nearest big (US) town. Ask around - doctors know who the "best" doctors are in their town. Good oncologists are saints. Best of luck with you and the hard times ahead.