Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Encyclopedia
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a private, for-profit operator of cancer treatment hospital
s and outpatient clinics which provide both conventional
and alternative
medical treatments.
CTCA's headquarters are located in Schaumburg, Illinois
.
CTCA has four hospitals in the United States
, located in Zion, Illinois
; Tulsa
; Philadelphia
; and Goodyear, Arizona
; a fifth center is under development in Newnan, Georgia
. CTCA also operates an outpatient oncology clinic, Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, located in Seattle
.
. Stephenson was unsatisfied with the treatment options available to his mother and opened the first CTCA hospital with the mission of changing the face of cancer The first hospital to open was Midwestern Regional Medical Center in northern Illinois
.
CTCA endorses a model of treatment that integrates traditional therapies with the alternative ones. Traditional cancer treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—such as surgery
, radiation
, chemotherapy
and stem cell transplants—are provided. Nutrition
al support, naturopathic programs
, spiritual
counseling, relaxation therapies and other alternative treatments are also available.
(FTC) complaint in 1993. The FTC alleged that CTCA made false claims regarding the success rates of certain cancer treatments in their promotional materials. This claim was settled in March 1996, requiring CTCA to discontinue use of any unsubstantiated claims in their advertising. CTCA is also required to have proven, scientific evidence for all statements regarding the safety, success rates, endorsements, and benefits of their cancer treatments. CTCA was also required to follow various steps in order to report compliance to the FTC per the settlement.
Cancer centers and hospitals in general (including Cancer Treatment Centers of America) have been the subjects of some controversy over their advertising. Many doctors and other observers have noted that many cancer organizations' advertising are sparsely regulated and, therefore, often contain unsupported and misleading claims as to the efficacy of their cancer treatments.
In 2001, the FDA issued CTCA a Warning Letter
concerning three clinical trials that were conducted in violation of FDA requirements.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s and outpatient clinics which provide both conventional
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and alternative
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
medical treatments.
CTCA's headquarters are located in Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
.
CTCA has four hospitals in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located in Zion, Illinois
Zion, Illinois
Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,866 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 24,303 as of 2005. The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie. He also started the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only...
; Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
; Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; and Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275...
; a fifth center is under development in Newnan, Georgia
Newnan, Georgia
Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008...
. CTCA also operates an outpatient oncology clinic, Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, located in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
.
History
CTCA was founded in 1988 by Richard J. Stephenson after his mother lost her battle with cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Stephenson was unsatisfied with the treatment options available to his mother and opened the first CTCA hospital with the mission of changing the face of cancer The first hospital to open was Midwestern Regional Medical Center in northern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Description of services
CTCA advertises itself as the home of integrative and compassionate cancer care under the motto: "We never stop searching for and providing powerful and innovative therapies to heal the whole person, improve quality of life and restore hope".CTCA endorses a model of treatment that integrates traditional therapies with the alternative ones. Traditional cancer treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—such as surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
, chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and stem cell transplants—are provided. Nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
al support, naturopathic programs
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathy, or Naturopathic Medicine, is a form of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation...
, spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
counseling, relaxation therapies and other alternative treatments are also available.
Controversy
Cancer Treatment Centers of America was the subject of a Federal Trade CommissionFederal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
(FTC) complaint in 1993. The FTC alleged that CTCA made false claims regarding the success rates of certain cancer treatments in their promotional materials. This claim was settled in March 1996, requiring CTCA to discontinue use of any unsubstantiated claims in their advertising. CTCA is also required to have proven, scientific evidence for all statements regarding the safety, success rates, endorsements, and benefits of their cancer treatments. CTCA was also required to follow various steps in order to report compliance to the FTC per the settlement.
Cancer centers and hospitals in general (including Cancer Treatment Centers of America) have been the subjects of some controversy over their advertising. Many doctors and other observers have noted that many cancer organizations' advertising are sparsely regulated and, therefore, often contain unsupported and misleading claims as to the efficacy of their cancer treatments.
In 2001, the FDA issued CTCA a Warning Letter
FDA Warning Letter
The United States Food and Drug Adminstration defines a Warning Letter as "...a correspondence that notifies regulated industry about violations that FDA has documented during its inspections or investigations...
concerning three clinical trials that were conducted in violation of FDA requirements.
External links
- "Cancer Treatment Centers of America"
- "An Alternative For Cancer Patients" from BusinessWeek
- "Companies That Purport to Successfully Treat Cancer Agree to Settle FTC Charges over Their Claims" (1996 Federal Trade Commission Settlement Statement)