The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

I'm a current patient at md anderson I was diagnosed with stage 2 early 3 colon cancer in my local hospital for some good friends they recommend me to go to houston and get treated at md anderson....best decision I ever have done I make a call and make the appointment and there we're off to houston and the first 2 days they did all the testing and got the results an a record time I have never see a team off doctors work so hard and fast to get thing out of my body ....I did chemo radiation for five and half weeks came home for two months when back and got a robotic davinci surgery with a record time healing and now I'm doing some chemo to make sure the I don't have to do this all over again in the future and with God's grace an md anderson wonderful Dr's and nurses I getting the the reversal surgery in august. I don't have words to thank the people in that hospital for saving my life. And they're hands on the soonest you walk in if you get a cancer diagnosis do not waist your precious time in other hospitals my.recommendation is make the call and get the best treatment you deserve do it for you first and then for your family they will love to have you in their lives for many many years to come. God bless you all and good luck with all your treatments

Feb 2018: If you are not doing chemotherapy the doctors try to convince you to do it and lose interest in you once you decide not too. Also, don’t believe in their integrated medicine department. As soon as Dr. Liu finds out your not doing chemo she sends you straight to ER. The whole system is linked to lure you in so you become an inpatient. As soon as we arrived ER, the nurse says “would you like chemo”? Like it’s a hot selling candy bar. They make their money from chemo. Don’t fall for it. Even if chemo works out for you, the cancer usually comes back and much more aggressive. There are many other ways. Read up on natural cancer cures. Chemo is not a natural substance. It’s a chemical that has no relation to the human body and over 90 percent of doctors will never take chemo themselves. We are dealing with stage IV cancer without chemo, radiation, or any of those things. And not because of insurance. They would cover it %100 if we wanted it. Like I said it’s all linked. Why do you think insurance doesn’t cover natural or holistic cancer cures? One answer, there’s not enough money to be made from it. It’s a real thing and it’s all about who and what you know. Look into the history behind how chemo started and you will be shocked. We couldn’t even get MD Anderson to review her last CT scan and compare it to the most recent one. My wife spent 6 nights in your hospital and we asked everyday for them to do the comparison so we know if things are getting better or worse. None of the doctors cared to do it. But they would jump at the first opportunity to load my wife up on IV bags full of chemical infused fluids that would slowly kill her. My wife couldn't even get the right sized hospital gown to wear while she stayed at this hospital. They said all they carried at the time was xtra large. That’s what the nurse claimed anyway. And the nurse insisted that she wear it even though she only weighed 90 pounds at the time. She could of just let her wear her pajamas. They are making millions of dollars from injecting people with chemo and can't afford a gown?! Unbelievable. The nurse also claimed they only had one size of NG tube and insisted that it’s the only size that works. It hardly could fit into her nose and it was very painful each day she had that tube. My wife is an experienced RN with 20 years of experience and she was the charge nurse. It's not a one size fits all when it comes to NG tubes. And even the smaller tubes get the job done when decompressing someone that hasn’t eaten for days. The name of the nurse was Ms. Hong. She was terrible and so were the doctors. I don’t believe it’s just one or two people to avoid at this hospital. It’s the central concept. Most of the doctors who came by the room expressed how much they didn't recommend our natural method of treatment. Well, IT WORKS. And thank god we didn't listen to them. There's no way my wife would be alive today if we fell into the trap of chemo. Besides, why would we do chemo when it's only been proven to extend the lives of those with her condition by only a couple of months. Makes more sense to make an attempt to cure it through natural means. Which turned out to be a great choice. They don’t care if your cancer is going away or not. Most cancer patients do not die from the cancer. It’s from the chemo itself. This hospital has never earned the right to draw a line through the word “Cancer” on their logo. Update May 2018: It has been 10 months since my wife was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. We have surpassed the life expectancy provided by several different doctors. We are still keeping it all natural and doing better than we were before. She is slowly gaining back strength, eating more, and in less pain. It’s all about healing your body from what comes from the earth in its natural state, keeping a positive mind, and praying to god. Don’t poison your body with chemo. God bless you all.

I was shocked!!! I am still very surprised at what happened to me at MD Anderson. I have been to a lot of different facilities and I have never seen anything like it. I found the facility to be "huge." Good thing there are plenty of "friendly people" to help you to your destination. The hospital was very clean with a nice relaxing decor. However, during my stay, I witnessed some things that were far more important! After most surgeries the "recovery nurses" are "everything" to you. In my case I had excruciating back pain (unrelated) a catheter, blood drain, IV's, tubes everywhere. Needless to say I "felt horrible." I have had nurses in other facilities be "rude" and "judgmental" when asking for help with pain. I have had them burst into the room at 3 a.m., turn on all of the lights and be in my face trying to "draw blood" before I was even conscious. I have had nurses leave me waiting when I "buzz them" often times avoiding me all together. I have too many actual "horror stories" to tell at this time. All of these "actual experiences" really made my stay at MD Anderson so "unique" and so "special." All of my recovery nurses were "amazing." (Special Thanks to Hanna, Marcus, Donna, Bryant, and Desiree.) From about 10 p.m. to 9 a.m., every 2-3 hours my nurses would "sneak" into the room making an "obvious effort" to not wake my wife or I. "No lights" only a "small crack" in the door. They would come in "empty my bags" and slip out quietly. If they needed to wake me it was always with a "gentle touch" and a "whisper." Anytime I "buzzed" them they came "quickly" to see to "whatever I needed." They were constantly doing everything they could to "make me comfortable." All with a "very obvious sincerity" to their "kindness" and "concern" for my well being. I have never seen anything like it. I can assure you it makes a "huge" difference in your recovery both "physically and mentally." In fact that was definitely the "most surprising" and "most appreciated" thing that we experienced during our stay. The "sincere compassion" from everyone. From the front door to the back door, hard to believe, usually there are a "few bad apples." Not here. Every employee, every volunteer, and even random patients were the same. (Extremely kind and caring.) It truly felt like a "higher power" watched over the place. I would compare the feeling to the "Grand Canyon" for anyone who's been there they will tell you the difference between "hearing" about the canyon, even "seeing pictures" is no comparison to "standing on the rim." The difference is "huge" and the "feeling" is "overwhelming." I have always heard that besides MD Anderson having the "best doctors" in the world, they also have really "compassionate people." Now that I have experienced that compassion "first hand" and actually "felt" that "level of compassion" I would consider the comparison to the Grand Canyon to be the same. Wow! Overwhelming! It's easy to see why they have been #1 for so long. It's also very easy to see from the "outside looking in" that the "people" inside of all of those buildings are not just the "back bone" of MD Anderson they are also the "heart and soul." I feel "extremely blessed" to be a patient. Thank You and God Bless You All. (Google John W. Davis at MDA to see the review about my surgeon.) Len Sparkman, Galveston

They r excellent and taking good care of my mother who had breast cancer...everyone is extremely caring and polite

Very efficient, great doctor, support staff and volunteers. Gave my daughter the best care.

MD Anderson saved my husband's life. This is the most comprehensive and fantastic cancer center in the country.

I've been visiting MD Anderson for several months and am always treated well but the valet process is really a pain. Many times, we can't event drive into the area to leave our car because it's so busy. What is the point of having a valet service if customers are not able to use it? On two occasions we have encountered a valet supervisor or manager named Bobi and she is absolutely horrible to deal with. She is demeaning, rude and overly aggressive with the customers. She was verbally abusive to my mother when we stopped to ask why we couldn't use the valet service and very discourteous to several other patrons. We come here for treatment and should be treated like a patient...not a problem. I don't know why she's allowed to work in customer service...she clearly has not idea what that is.

I have been taking my dad for treatment and all the times we stay there the staff have been so kind and helpful.

The best in the world. Extremely professional and cutting edge technologies. MDA is ending cancer.

Incredibly helpful, kind, knowledgeable providers. Positive approach allays patient discomfort. Unbelievable care.

Recently, had to help a international patient ( cash pay) to get into MD Anderson, the staffs in international patient service center were so bad that I can't believe it is MD Anderson's voice ( 713 745 0450, try out that number, pretend to be a international pt just to see how bad it is!), the front desk operator has a very bad attitude issues, they never respond to pt's emails or if you leave a message, they never call back, the worst thing is, the pt's records and data emailed to them will get "lost or never received", unbelievable service! If a cancer pt try to contact them directly and will suffer a severe anxiety and in fact make him/her feel worthless! I wish I can rate them 0!

I always thought living in Houston was a blessing because I had the best cancer center but I was wrong. I have donated money for many years and I regret it, I was given the worst news ever my father went to the ER with blood clots and then we discovered he has cancet, I decided I wanted him treated at MD Anderson so when I called to get him in they called me back and said they can't see him because his out patient coverage is not effective, this place has no compassion of anyone I learned they are all about the money they leave you to die, they didn't offer to transfer my call to anyone that can help financially, Im very heartbroken. Dont donate money to these people please just help families. I always donated thinking what if someday I need them and guess what I really needed them and they turned me down God will make justice.

#1 for a reason. They saved my life. Outstanding in every way.

I don't doubt that MD Anderson has helped some cancer victims, but we had a terrible experience there. My sister was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma. We had heard that MDA was a leader in advanced treatment options. We researched the hospital and called them and asked if they might be able to help. They strongly encouraged us to bring her to Houston for evaluation. They first instructed us to have all her records transferred, including biopsy specimens. When we got to MDA, we waited several hours to see the doctor. He discussed my sister's situation, but did no further testing. He told us he would consult with a panel at the hospital and make recommendations to my sister's local oncologist. He emphatically agreed to offer ongoing consultation, and stated that this would not require any further trips to Houston. Many weeks passed after our visit before the MDA doctor finally sent his recommendations. The local oncologist never heard back after the initial recommendations, so my sister's husband wrote several emails to the MDA doctor asking for further guidance. The doctor finally responded that he would have to see the patient before he could make any further recommendations. The bottom line: MD Anderson encouraged a very sick person to make the journey to Houston, only to provide a consultation that could have been done on the phone, did no further testing, and failed to provide the promised ongoing guidance to the local oncologist.

The very best doctor's, extremely caring and very personable. Will always recommend to everyone.

Caring people; warm and inviting atmosphere.

Idon't tell you the cost I am now impotent and suicidal thanks to them

All the staff was excellent, great hospital great service It's the place to be if cancer is your problem

A friendly place. I like the chapel.

If this is "The Best" I certainly hate to see the worst. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy. Took two months and $20,000 worth of tests to finally get a diagnosis. Now trying to schedule treatments and no will return our calls. Very unprofessional! Avoid this place if possible.

My friend was diagnosed with DCIS and she wanted to get the best care available in the country, so she headed to MD Anderson and got her surgery. They collected the biopsy sample from previous place that primarily diagnosed her with DCIS instead of collecting new sample. After the surgery the doctors didn't find any cancer cell in the muscle/fat removed. DCIS was removed in biopsy at the first place. She then received re-constructive surgery from GREGORY REECE. One of the breasts healed OK however the other (One with DCIS(!)) isn't healing after so many months. So they keep making her travel back and forth from FL to TX instead of helping her out with flexible dates and now suggesting skin grafting because they messed up. And the GREGORY REECE, the reconstructive surgeon is so busy during holidays that he wouldn't even see her in another month. So many things went wrong and the doctors cant even be prosecuted (because they are wise enough to leave no footprints of a mistake and always have an explanation ready). She now is looking for a reconstructive surgeon in FL. I just feel so bad for her and hope this suffering comes to an end and she gets back to normal life soon.

My mom was diagnosed with glioblastoma (brain cancer). She went through the standard 1 year chemo/radiation treatment and about a month after finishing, an MRI revealed the cancer started growing again. They contacted MD Anderson (MDA) and Duke for trials. The Duke trial didn't work out so they went with MDA. From day 1, they have struggled with the doctors to get answers to simple questions. For instance, the doctors said she couldn't begin treatment because her steroid dose had changed within the last 5 days. No one told them this information, nor was it included with the paperwork given to my dad. So this delayed treatment for 5 days, and required another MRI and bloodwork. Later, it turns out that this detail excludes patients with this type of cancer. Another example. My parents flew home back home (9 hr flight to Hawaii) between treatments 2 and 3. They had been living in the hotel for about a month and needed to get home to take care of things, and my dad had to get back to work. They were home roughly 1 week when my mom regressed and needed to up the steroid dose. Their doctor at home ordered another MRI and these details sent back to Houston. My parents were cleared by their doctor at home, who supposedly discussed her situation with the lead trial doctor at MDA. So they made arrangements to fly back for the third treatment. Since they were booking last minute, and looking for a nonstop flight to make it easy on my mom who is now in a wheel chair (still about 8 hrs travel time), the tickets were pretty expensive, $1200 one way per person. When they get to MDA, the doctors do the normal blood work (which they say MUST be done at MDA), then meet with the doctors. The doctors apparently decided a week prior that she couldn't be in the trial due to the regression. WHY COULDN'T THEY SAY THIS OVER PHONE OR EMAIL?? My dad had called multiple times every day the few days prior to leaving to see if she was still considered for the trial? So in essence, the doctors LIED, since they knew before they left, that she couldn't continue. These are just two example of many, many frustrating instances. From misinformation, unable/unwilling to validate parking, delayed appointments (on the order of 2+ hours), unable/unwilling to give food vouchers, unwilling to answer emails/phone calls. The list of disappointments they've received while working with MDA is atrocious. Spend less on advertising and more on patient care and compassion. Then maybe MDA wouldn't have to milk patients for unnecessary procedures and unhelpful appointments. My mom could have started the alternate standard treatment at home instead of flying 8 hours to Houston and being jerked around. Her life is worth more than that. MDA is just a poor excuse and I'm saddened to think that is the 'best' option for those undergoing cancer treatment.

as a physician i have tried to refer patients to them bottom line : it seems this hospital is interested in their bottom line -money so my impression if you are poor and no insurance md anderson will not cure your cancer. md anderson was not like this when i started my practice.

Been going to MD ANDERSON for 10 yrs. 2 time lung cancer suvivor[THANK GOD]. Last visit was March 2014. Was told to come back in 6mos spot on 1 lung needed to be checked. Dr Walsh, my doctor. After 3-4 weeks of non -stop calls to MD ANDERSON INS. dept. was told they no longer tak UNITED HEALTH CARE INS. Got a pre-approval from UNC. MD. ANDERSON would not accept. Was told I needed a thing called spot letter. No one @ UNC even knew what it was. Finally after nother 2 wks. Was told they would not do that. Its a check written in advance to MD Anderson before the appointment.[if i died the ins probably wouldnt pay}. I said to the ins. lady @ MD ANDERSON, I bet a lot of people die because of these ins. problems, she said, "unfortunely they do." . in a place where millions and millions are made. WOW Had a letter from my other doc.PCP saying it was causing a lot of stress and high blood pressure on me . needed this done soon...didnt matter.. But they run commericals where they do free things for people..Wonder how they really get paid/? Now im going to another doctor who knows nothing about my history, .I get to take all those test again. Lot a money in those tests, and lab . work.. Thanks MD ANDERSON for making my life so miserable, and scared . Might have a 3rd repeat. Only GOD knows. Greed Greed...This not to take away from the best doctor there ..DR. GARRETT WALSH..

We have had wonderful experiences and a few shockers. Our worst experiences were two failed and very poorly done PICC/Port/CVC placement, a very poorly done lumbar puncture, a poorly written MRI report resulting in a missed relapsed all dx, and a discharge from hospital while experiencing symptoms of an infection and neutropenia that led to sepsis, cellulitis and loss of tissue around the anus less than 24 hours later. Our 8 year old son was extremely ill and and could not walk for a week after the incorrect and very poorly done LP. THE CNS RBC count was OVER 22,000 (normal being 0). After the failed PICC/PORT/CVC attempts we were told blindly that he must have a tumor or some other blockage - you can't just tell people that (he doesn't, they just were not skilled at what they were doing). He suffered horrible headaches and throwing up for a month due to the MRI misreading, and of course the cellulitis and loss of anal tissue caused a month of intense pain and suffering and a 3 month delay in transplant. Our biggest complaint is that the outpatient procedures were done blind, we had no notification before who wad doing them, even if on the spot the person introduces themselves - you've never heard of them before, never met them, know nothing of their qualifications or history - it lead to poorly done procedures. We have never had a problem when one of our doctors or the lead surgeons have been scheduled for and done a procedure - they have been fantastic. But the outpatient surgery centers and on call proceduralist and staff have given us cause for concern on several occasions. A definite 5* to Dr Hays-Jordan, Dr Rytting, Dr Cox, the PACU nurses and daytime Pedi nurses, Dr Cortez, Dr Nunez, Dr Madden and many many others. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: 9AM-1PM in infusion therapy and Cardiopulmonary for wait times & waiting rooms.

Great place w/good doctors

My sister had a procedure there, resulting in an overnight stay. Everyone from nurses in the hallway, to floor nurses, to doctors , to just any employee went out of their way to give directions, check on her well being, just excellent hospitality!!!:)

Dr Guidley is a wonderful and caring doctor in the head and neck area.

My mom and dad and daughter in law have been going here for a very long time and all three of them or cancer free with God's help and the doctors at MdAnderson

It's a great hospital with a good working system and nice staff.

I work here. I love my job and the people I work with

Don't go here for breast screening or whatever. The hospital overall is great but scheduling is a pain in the rear.

The people are kind, caring,loving, and just an awesome bunch.

I AM A BIG FAN OF THIS ARTICLE. I WAS A MEMBER TO I DON'T HAVE THE c a N c e r a N Y mo r e

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Very proffesional, care about their patients

The Best hospital in the world.

If you've got cancer...it's the only place to go!!! MD Anderson is the best at fighting cancer and changing cancer patients into survivors!!!

An awesome array of service!

Cutting edge cancer care.

Excellent treatment throughout the center.

I'm still kickin'.

Great care

Best Drs & staff!!

Liked it.

Moo moo

I work here!! We save people's lives!!

I'm a leukemia patient

Great. Place

Always a pleasure