Of those topping the list of best cancer hospitals, several have met the standard of care required by the National Cancer Institute to receive the official “Comprehensive Cancer Center” designation. Today, there are only 71 hospitals to have received such status.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, there are many reasons you may want to get care from a comprehensive cancer center rather than a local oncology practice or clinic.

It may be that the disease is an uncommon form of cancer, for instance, or one that is resistant to standard therapies. You may also be seeking a second opinion from someone who is a leader in their field, especially for cancers that are rarer or harder to treat.

Whatever your motivation, these top-rated facilities are guaranteed to offer the highest level of care and expertise. Many engage in cutting-edge research and may be able to offer treatments that are either experimental or not yet available in other facilities.

The MD Anderson Center provides care to over 174,000 people annually and employs more than 22,000 people. They are also the top-ranked hospital in cancer funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The center treats hundreds of subtypes of cancers each year at its many locations in New York state and New Jersey. These include the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center, the Sillerman Center for Rehabilitation, and the Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center.

The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is based on three campuses—Phoenix, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. It offers comprehensive oncological treatment to people from around the world.

The collaborative Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center provides state-of-the-art care for women and men with breast cancer and is staffed with leading surgeons, oncologists, and radiation oncologists, some of whom have pioneered techniques that have become the template for optimal breast cancer treatment.

The large healthcare system unites doctors and scientists from the Taussig Cancer Center (housed in a 377,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2017), as well as the hospital’s 26 other clinical and surgical institutes.

They have locations in both Baltimore and Washington, DC.

When searching for the oncologist or oncology center best suited to oversee your care, do your research and ask as many questions as possible to make an informed choice.