What is the difference in care at top cancer centers (esp sloan kettering, hopkins, MD Anderson)

Hi Renee! Welcome to our board, though I am sorry you have to be here. We are a very diverse group with many experiences and will be very happy help you along your journey. We are a nosey bunch, and would like to know more about you, which will better help us help you!  I was treated at Sloan Kettering; there were some extenuating circustances influencing my decision to be treated there. I'll get to the specifics in a moment. It is important to know that my husband is a surgeon and the chairman of the board at local medical center here in New Jersey. I went to Sloan Kettering because they were able to provide what was at the time experimental diagnostic MRI of the breast. In April 2000, breast MRI was not available at most centers.  My mother had breast cancer twice and my younger sister was recently diagnosed with bc. I discovered that Sloan Kettering was studying screening protocols for "high risk" patients that included mammo, u/s and MRI. I enrolled in the study and after "normal" mammo and u/s, the MRI was positive. I then had an MRI guided biopsy, which was not available anywhere else at the time. I believe to this day that the MRI saved my life. Since my cancer did not show up on mammo or u/s, it may not have been discovered until it was more advanced. Going to a cancer center, you are in a place where the cutting edge technology and research is readily available. That's not to say that you can't get good care at a local hospital; chances are you will be able to get the current treatment protocols. As long as your situation is "routine", there may not be any special treatment or diagnostic studies required.  Since you have already been diagnosed, you can always get a second opinion from a cancer center to make sure no rock has been left unturned. That will bring peace of mind to reassure you that you are getting the best possible care. I hope this has helped. Good luck!

Frayda