Becoming a Patient
Every cancer is as unique as the person fighting it. How cancer impacts your body, your health, your emotions, your relationships, your plans for the future — everything that comes with a diagnosis impacts your life in unique ways. At City of Hope, we believe you deserve a team and a care plan that take those factors into account, treating you as an individual with your own hopes, needs, diagnosis and goals.
That’s our difference: comprehensive, personalized care delivered by experts in cancer with access to today’s evolving technology, working collaboratively, coast to coast, in real time.
Get the expertise you deserve
Our cancer care experts have extensive experience diagnosing and treating both early-stage and advanced-stage cancers, as well as complex and rare cancers. Our oncologists use a wide variety of standard-of-care and innovative treatment tools and technologies, including precision medicine breakthroughs in immunotherapy and targeted therapy drugs, to attack your specific cancer type, while also offering qualified patients access to investigational research on potential new treatment approaches. A second opinion may point to a different cancer type, and a review of your genetic profile through advanced genomic testing may uncover a more advanced treatment option not previously considered, or help to confirm your current diagnosis and treatment plan.
Being surrounded by a team of cancer experts allows you to explore cancer treatment options sooner. It takes a team of cancer experts working alongside you to fight a complex disease like cancer. The City of Hope team includes board-certified specialists with advanced training and expertise in specific cancers — from breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers to melanoma and lymphoma — as well as the many treatment options available to fight them.
At City of Hope, a world leader in cancer research, treatment and prevention, we’re committed to helping qualified cancer patients get access to new and innovative treatment options. The research team at City of Hope identifies and studies new and emerging treatment options that are supported by scientific and investigational research. City of Hope’s investigational research programs may offer patients early access to treatment options that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
At City of Hope, we use the tools of precision medicine to identify what makes a particular cancer behave the way it does. As precision medicine research continues to rapidly evolve, our oncology team is prepared to make a cancer care plan tailored to your genetic makeup, using the advances in pharmacogenomics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and biomarker testing.
Targeted therapy drugs may be recommended to treat your cancer based on the results of an advanced genomic test. These drugs are designed to seek out features unique to cancer cells and target specific proteins or mutations that may be driving the cancer’s growth.
The hospitals in our comprehensive cancer care network are accredited and certified by a number of renowned professional health care organizations for delivering high-quality care and exceeding patient safety standards.
Coordinated care recognizes that cancer is a complex disease, requiring multiple doctors’ appointments, medications and treatments, as well as support and follow-up care, and answers to the questions you may have along the way. At City of Hope, we’re committed to helping you handle these logistics, so you don’t have to do it alone. That’s why we developed a comprehensive care model that assigns a coordinator, or team of coordinators, to your care team, to ensure that your medical needs are met in a seamless fashion.
Your care manager at City of Hope is a nurse with cancer care expertise who serves as the point person on most aspects of your treatment journey. Whether it’s coordinating doctor appointments and treatment visits, filling prescriptions or explaining the process, your care manager helps keep you fully informed. As liaisons between you, your caregivers and your care teams, your care manager is the common thread holding the pieces of your cancer treatment journey together, so you can focus on you.
When It Comes to Your Cancer Journey, Even Little Details Matter
Depending on your needs and situation, our telehealth services may be an option that connects you with our cancer experts from the convenience of your own home.
Prior to your visit, a City of Hope team member will schedule your travel, reserve your accommodations, greet you at the airport or train station and bring you to the hospital or to your nearby lodging site.
Once here, our staff is available to continue assisting with your travel coordination and other needs throughout your treatment.
Our in-house oncology pharmacy guides you through the process of ordering your prescribed medications, such as oral chemotherapies, and works with drug manufacturers to deliver medications securely and promptly to your hospital bedside or home. Our pharmacists take the time to educate you and your caregiver, helping you understand your medications and manage the side effects they may cause.
Our hospitals and outpatient centers accept a variety of insurance plans. The best way to understand your coverage is as simple as a phone call, we can conduct a preliminary check to determine how your insurance plan benefits may work and, if possible, schedule an appointment.
Get the Expertise You Deserve. One Call Is All It Takes.
Supporting you through your survivorship and beyond
Throughout your cancer journey, our team works with you to develop ways to improve and maintain your health. After your primary treatment is completed, you’ll be introduced to your survivorship team. Together, they’ll offer strategies to prevent and detect new or recurrent cancers and interventions for long-term and late effects resulting from cancer and/or treatments, while also coordinating communication between specialists and your primary care doctor and offering guidance about diet, exercise and living a healthy lifestyle after cancer. Whether you’re at one of our hospitals or at home in between visits, we’re here to help. Members of your care team are only a phone call away.
Are You Looking for a Second Opinion?
A second opinion is your first priority.
Being diagnosed with a serious illness is life-changing. Your next steps are crucial in achieving the best possible outcome. You need to make sure the diagnosis was correct. And even for common diagnoses, different treatment often require different approaches that warrant consideration. At City of Hope, we believe you need to clearly understand your options in order to join your care team in making the decisions that are right for you.
You can seek a second opinion even after you’ve started treatment.
The world-renowned team at City of Hope will give you a thorough understanding of the latest advances and treatments available, giving you peace of mind about your treatment plan. We’d like the opportunity to listen, hear your concerns and answer your questions. Our expertise comes from treating cancer—every stage, every day. Call us now to schedule your second opinion appointment.
“I went from waiting to get an appointment to having one right away — the day after I called.”
“My doctors used genomic testing to identify a targeted therapy to treat my cancer. They discussed the possibilities and answered my questions. I was part of the decision process, which was very important to me.”
“I truly believe that the whole-person approach to care I received brought me through to the other side, so that I can now urge others to heed the signs.”
“The best part is that they do a lot of the tough work — like setting up appointments and making sure the entire care team is communicating. I have enough to worry about, and I appreciated not having to worry about the other stuff. I could focus on fighting my cancer.”
“I met my team of doctors and clinicians, and together, we mapped out a course of treatment. The treatment plan was so detailed, and I was happy to be involved in the decision-making process. It felt like I had a whole new window of possibilities open up for me. It gave me a renewed sense of confidence and hope.”
“Each day of my treatment, I felt the support and encouragement of doctors, nurses, clinicians, therapists, pastors and other staff members: a long list of individuals who were willing to invest in me. They were an important part of my fight.”