CANCER

Cancer is many diseases. It creates malignant tumors in major organs or develops in the blood or lymphatic system. A network of Comprehensive Cancer Centers, as well as second-opinion clinics where complex treatments can be discussed by many specialists, have been designated by the National Institutes of Health. Breakthroughs to treat cancer through genetic manipulation await discovery. Today's cancer patients still must be treated by surgery, radiology, and chemotherapy.

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UROLOGY

Rank	Hospital	U.S.News Index	Reputational Score	Cancer Mortality rate	COTH member	Technology score (of 7)	Cancer discharges	R.N.'s to beds
1	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York	100.0	71.3%	0.92	Yes	6.0	3,739	1.52
2	University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston	98.4	66.5%	0.45	Yes	6.0	3,640	1.64
3	Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore	60.0	33.8%	0.53	Yes	7.0	1,458	1.32
4	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston	60.0	38.7%	0.35	No	4.5	614	2.47
5	Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.	53.3	28.5%	0.51	Yes	6.0	2,646	1.52
6	Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.	34.6	12.0%	0.66	Yes	7.0	2,875	1.60
7	Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, Calif.	34.5	16.7%	0.79	Yes	5.0	937	1.09
8	University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle	33.2	12.2%	0.60	Yes	6.0	630	2.00
9	University of Chicago Hospitals	31.0	8.8%	0.55	Yes	7.0	1,304	1.51
10	University of California, San Francisco Medical Center	27.4	7.3%	0.57	Yes	7.0	467	1.40
11	Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston	25.6	6.5%	0.86	Yes	7.0	2,228	1.66
12	Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis	24.0	4.6%	0.79	Yes	7.0	997	1.65
13	UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles	23.8	4.1%	0.67	Yes	7.0	895	1.25
14	Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo	23.7	4.9%	0.73	Yes	5.5	1,675	2.88
15	University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor	21.8	1.4%	0.65	Yes	7.0	1,250	1.43
16	Rush-Presbyterian-Saint Luke's Medical Center, Chicago	21.3	1.9%	0.66	Yes	7.0	1,169	1.06
17	University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Va.	21.0	0.0%	0.60	Yes	7.0	1,158	1.68
18	Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis	20.8	3.3%	0.72	Yes	6.5	1,699	0.77
19	University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City	20.4	1.8%	0.75	Yes	7.0	1,387	1.26
20	Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia	20.2	5.4%	0.65	No	4.0	1,252	1.30
21	Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia	20.2	3.1%	0.88	Yes	6.0	1,460	1.66
22	North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem	19.9	0.6%	0.71	Yes	7.0	1,695	1.42
23	Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.	19.6	1.6%	0.53	Yes	6.0	814	1.01
24	Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston	19.6	2.9%	0.81	Yes	6.0	944	1.28
25	Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Lebanon, N.H.	19.4	0.5%	0.71	Yes	7.0	775	1.59
26	Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh	19.3	0.3%	0.63	Yes	5.0	1,147	1.68
27	Cleveland Clinic	19.3	1.0%	0.72	Yes	7.0	1,647	1.06
28	University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wi.	19.0	0.4%	0.68	Yes	7.0	918	1.10
29	University Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz.	18.8	1.3%	0.61	Yes	6.0	383	1.34
30	University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic, Minneapolis	18.7	0.5%	0.50	Yes	7.0	941	0.62
31	University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill	18.6	0.6%	0.68	Yes	6.0	803	1.42
32	Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.	18.2	1.1%	0.74	Yes	6.5	1,304	0.87
33	Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas	18.1	1.0%	0.81	Yes	6.0	1,563	1.52
34	University of Cincinnati Hospital	18.1	0.5%	0.71	Yes	6.0	651	1.61
35	Vanderbilt University Hospital and Clinic, Nashville	18.0	1.6%	0.93	Yes	7.0	973	1.33
36	Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, Gainesville	18.0	1.1%	0.64	Yes	6.0	557	0.92
37	Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, Calif.	17.8	0.0%	0.66	Yes	5.0	782	1.70
38	Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey	17.8	0.0%	0.70	Yes	6.0	1,060	1.25
39	University Hospitals of Cleveland	17.7	0.5%	0.92	Yes	7.0	1,360	1.83
40	Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York	17.6	3.3%	1.33	Yes	6.5	2,871	1.57
41	University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento	17.4	1.1%	0.72	Yes	5.0	519	2.20
42	Ochsner Foundation Hospital, New Orleans	17.4	0.0%	0.59	Yes	5.0	502	2.02

"U.S. News Index" scores have been rounded, which may produce apparent ties. "Reputational score" is percentage of cancer specialists surveyed in 1995, 1996, and 1997 who named the hospital. "Cancer mortality rate" is ratio of actual to expected cancer deaths. "COTH member" indicates membership in Council of Teaching Hospitals. "Technology score" reflects cancer-related technology available. "Cancer discharges" is number of specialty-related discharges. "R.N.'s to beds" is hospitalwide ratio of full-time registered nurses to beds.

1997 Best Hospitals Guide | Rankings by region