National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The mission of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world through outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research, and prevention, as well as through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees, and the public.

· Patient Care: MD Anderson pioneered the multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer by providing cancer care in the form of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or combinations of these and other treatments.

· Research: Important scientific knowledge gained in the laboratory is rapidly translated to clinical care. MD Anderson invested more than $510 million in research in Fiscal Year 2009, and ranks first in the number of research grants awarded and total amount of grant funds given by the National Cancer Institute.

· Prevention: Recognizing that prevention is the best way to eliminate the threat of cancer, MD Anderson takes a multifaceted approach through expanding research, clinical and educational activities.

· Education: More than 6,300 trainees take part annually in educational programs for physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health professionals.

MD Anderson is one of the nation's original three Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971 and is one of 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers today. MD Anderson has ranked among the nation's top two cancer hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's " America 's Best Hospitals" survey since the survey's inception in 1990, ranking number one six times in the past eight years.

General Information

Treatment

Multidisciplinary Teams
Clinicians in all oncologic and supporting specialties work together to plan and implement multimodality therapies. Most patients meet with their treatment team members and receive their ambulatory care in one location. The multidisciplinary care center concept was a driving force in the architectural design of the MD Anderson complex.

Multidisciplinary care centers incorporate physical locations and organizational concepts, which were created to provide patient care services for a particular disease site. This organization greatly reduces the time needed for initial evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning, and increases convenience for patients.

MD Anderson has 26 multidisciplinary care centers that provide integrated cancer care.

Complementary/Integrative Medicine

The goals of MD Anderson's Complementary and Integrative Medicine service are:

· to discover CAM approaches used by patients

· to distinguish among harmful treatments, beneficial treatments, and treatments that can be safely integrated with conventional treatment

· to encourage communication between patients and providers

· to educate patients and health care providers with current and accurate information

· to promote ongoing professional growth through networking in a setting where complementary medicine and conventional cancer treatments can be examined together

Place...of wellness

More than 75 complementary therapy programs work in concert with mainstream care to manage cancer-related symptoms, relieve stress, and enhance quality of life. Most programs are free and do not require referral, except acupuncture and full body massage, which are provided for a nominal fee and require physician referral. Place ... of wellness is open to anyone touched by cancer, their family members, and caregivers, whether or not they were treated at MD Anderson. For more information about Place … of wellness, call 713.794.4700.

Education

· Touch Therapy for Caregivers, Family, Friends, and Loved Ones

· "Chemobrain" - Is it Real?

· Weight Management Class

· Reiki, Healing Touch for Self & Others

· Guest Chef, Nutrition Classes, Herbal Lecture Series

· P.I.K.N.I.C. weekly educational forum

· The Learning Center

· Living Fully With Cancer - an annual conference that draws patients and caregivers worldwide

Expressive Arts

· Journaling: The Healing Power of Story

· Celebration Singers: Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Choir and Support Group

· Songwriting Workshop: Music Therapy

Meditation & Spirituality

· Centering Prayer, Inner Joy, The Art of Living, The Road Less Traveled: Cancer Path and Spiritual Journey, Tibetan Meditation

Movement

· Awareness Through Movement, Pilates, Chi Kung (Qigong), Tai Chi, Yoga (Hatha and Kundalini), Body Energizer

Relaxation & Stress Management

· Aromatherapy & Self-Massage, Brief Relaxation Massages, Guided Imagery for Healing, Relaxation Exercise, Fatigue & Self-Hypnosis, Self-Hypnosis for Relaxation, Stress Management Techniques

Acupuncture & Massage

· Place … of wellness. For details or for an appointment, call 713.794.4700.

Late Effects and Survivorship

MD Anderson is developing survivorship as a specialized field of cancer care. Providing the framework for the survivorship effort is MD Anderson’s multidisciplinary, patient-centered care model in which every patient benefits from a diverse team of specialists. The Survivorship Program is designed to address the outcomes of cancer and to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life through integrated programming in patient care, research, prevention and education. Survivorship clinics follow disease-specific practice algorithms that guide survivors’ care in the following domains:

• Cancer surveillance
• Late effects/side effects monitoring and management
• Cancer risk reduction assessment and screening for second cancers
• Psychosocial needs assessment and referral

An individualized and comprehensive care summary, Passport Plan for Health, is created and reviewed with each survivor to clearly communicate diagnosis and treatment, including a follow-up plan of care. Currently, there are clinics for survivors of breast, gynecologic, thyroid and head and neck cancers, stem cell transplantation and childhood cancers.

Cancer Prevention and Screening

Expanded research efforts in epidemiology and behavioral sciences complement achievements made in the clinical cancer prevention arena. Laboratory activities support developmental and practical applications of cancer prevention. A new research program is focusing attention on health disparities in prevention and care among ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations. The Cancer Prevention Center provides comprehensive cancer screening services, including cancer risk assessment, screening exams based on cancer risk, age and gender, personalized risk-reduction strategies, genetic testing, chemoprevention, tobacco cessation, and nutrition counseling.

Cancer Prevention Center

To determine which services are best for you, call 800.438.6434. Services include:

· Comprehensive cancer screening

· Site-specific cancer screening

· Risk assessment and risk reduction counseling

· Genetic testing and risk counseling

· Chemoprevention

· Nutrition counseling

· Tobacco cessation counseling

· Diagnostic evaluation services

· Undiagnosed Breast Evaluation Clinic: comprehensive clinical and diagnostic evaluation of breast abnormalities, including a lump or other breast changes

· Undiagnosed Dermatology Clinic: diagnostic evaluation of skin abnormalities, including a change in a mole or freckle or other skin changes

Tobacco Cessation

For MD Anderson patients, free comprehensive medical treatment for tobacco cessation is offered to those patients who smoke or have recently quit. For more information, call 713.792.QUIT.

For smokers who are not receiving cancer care at MD Anderson, there are numerous tobacco-cessation studies available that provide free treatment. Call the Tobacco Research and Treatment Program at 713.792.2265.

Free Prostate Cancer Screenings

Held on alternating Tuesdays at MD Anderson beginning at 7:30 a.m. for uninsured men ages 50-70. Call 713.792.8924 for an appointment. In addition, a mobile prostate screening van provides free prostate cancer screenings in underserved areas in Houston. For locations, call 713.794.4572.

Support Services

Supportive Care

Rehabilitation Service

Complementary and Integrative Medicine

The goals of MD Anderson’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine service are to:

• Discover complementary and integrative medicine approaches used by patients
• Distinguish among harmful treatments, beneficial treatments, and treatments that can be safely integrated with conventional treatment
• Encourage communication between patients and providers
• Educate patients and health care providers with current and accurate information
• Promote ongoing professional growth through networking in a setting where complementary medicine and conventional cancer treatments can be examined together.
  

Place ... of wellness
More than 75 complementary therapy program opportunities work in concert with mainstream care to manage cancer-related symptoms, relieve stress, and enhance quality of life. Most programs are free and do not require referral, except acupuncture and full body massage, which are provided for a nominal fee and require physician referral. Place ... of wellness is open to anyone touched by cancer, their family members, and caregivers, whether or not they were treated at MD Anderson. For massage and acupuncture appointments and more information about Place … of wellness, call 713.794.4700.

Education

• "Chemobrain" — Is It Real?: Cancer patients often experience cognitive impairments from a combination of factors: the cancer itself, treatment side effects, other medications and medical complications. These changes can reveal themselves as memory loss, lack of sustained attention, etc. Learn ways to address these effects.
• Finding Reliable Information: Introduces resources that help when researching supplements or therapies that may help manage side effects. Patients learn how to navigate websites, how to evaluate natural products for quality and safety and, most importantly, how to discuss complementary and integrative medicine with their doctors.
• Nutrition Lectures: Help patients deal with side effects and/or simply maintain their health. Dieticians talk about cancer and treatment effects on the body’s natural ability to absorb nutrients from food. Learn about the special nutritional needs for cancer patients, information on organic foods and more.

Expressive Arts

• Classes include Beading, Chinese Ink Art and Mosaic Mania.
• Experiencing Music Therapy: A fun workshop for anyone wanting to express feelings or thoughts through music, meditation and prayer.
• The Celebration Singers: A choir of cancer survivors or caregivers who enjoy singing. The group’s purpose is to make beautiful music, have fun and provide inspiration to the newly diagnosed and the long-term survivor.

Movement

• Tai Chi: A soft and gentle exercise of the mind and body through mindful awareness and continuous, fluid movement.
• Yoga (Hatha): A class that teaches the postures, breathing exercises and meditation of yoga.
• NIA — Body Energizer: This restorative movement class incorporates techniques from yoga, Tai Chi and NIA dance (play). The movements are easy to follow and inspired by a relaxing musical beat.
• Pilates: Learn and practice a series of exercises in deep muscle strengthening that improve skeletal alignment and overall flexibility.

Stress Management

• Self-Hypnosis for Relaxation: A class to regain the ability to relax, reduce adverse symptoms from treatment and enhance the overall quality of life.
• Stress Management Techniques: A class to learn relaxation procedures, diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery.
• Laughter Yoga: Fills lungs and body with oxygen, exercising the lungs. Participants report reduction in stress, blood pressure, depression and more. It is a blend of yogic deep breathing, stretching and simulated laughter exercises.
• Aromatherapy and Self-Massage: Helps patients experience essential oils, which have possible therapeutic uses. Participants take home a comprehensive guide to creating their own aroma blend. Samples are available during the class.
• Qigong: This ancient Chinese system of self-care uses meditation, breathing exercises and gentle movements to promote deep relaxation, stress reduction and energy balance.
• Tibetan Meditation — Connect With the Heart: Participants learn to connect the mind and the breath in a good balance of relaxation to bring peace and a release of tension.
• Mindfulness Meditation: Bringing kind, gentle attention to present moment experiences is the essence of mindfulness. Participants learn stress-relieving techniques to help them live life more fully and peacefully, and handle its challenges with effectiveness and compassion.

Nutrition Service

Department of Clinical Nutrition

Provides comprehensive nutrition care for patients and cancer-related nutrition education for professionals and the public. Registered, licensed dietitians and dietetic specialists work with MD Anderson's medical team to plan and implement nutritional intervention Based on individualized needs.

Services include assessment, counseling, and intervention related to nutrition status prior to and during therapy; management of nutrition-related side effects of treatment; management of specialized feeding regimens like enternal tube feedings and parenteral nutrition support; counseling related to integrative nutrition therapies; nutrition conseling for survivorship and cancer risk reduction; nutrition education for patients, families, caregivers, and the general public; and presentations on nutrition and cancer for other healthcare professionals at MD Anderson, professional organizations, universities, and in the community.

Cancer Prevention Center Nutrition Counseling

A nutrition assessment with personalized counseling for cancer risk reduction is available for the general public. Call 713.745.8040.

Cooperative Group Membership

Clinical and Research Efforts

• Profile Overview
• Adult Oncology
• Genetic Testing
• Pediatric Oncology
• Find Clinical Trials