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How To Find a Doctor or Treatment Facility If You Have Cancer 

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, finding a doctor and treatment facility for your 

cancer care is an important step to getting the best treatment possible. Although the health care 

system is complex, resources are available to guide you in finding a doctor, getting a second 

opinion, and choosing a treatment facility. Below are suggestions and information resources to 

help you with these important decisions. 

Key Points 

• Resources are available to help you find a doctor who specializes in 

cancer care (see section on Finding a Doctor). 

• Once you receive your doctor’s opinion about the diagnosis and treatment 

plan, you may want to get another doctor’s advice before you begin 

treatment. This is known as getting a second opinion (see section on 

Getting a Second Opinion). 

• Resources are available to help you choose a treatment facility for 

scheduled and ongoing care (see section on Finding a Treatment Facility 

for Patients Living in the United States). 

• If you live outside the United States, resources are available to help you 

locate a facility in or near your country (see section on Finding a 

Treatment Facility for Patients Living Outside the United States). 

• Citizens of other countries who are planning to travel to the United States 

for cancer treatment generally must first obtain a nonimmigrant visa for 

medical treatment from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home 

country (see section on Finding a Treatment Facility for Patients Living 

Outside the United States). 
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Physician Training and Credentials 

 When choosing a doctor for your cancer care, you may find it helpful to know some of 

the terms used to describe a doctor’s training and credentials. Most physicians who treat people 

with cancer are medical doctors (they have an M.D. degree) or osteopathic doctors (they have a 

D.O. degree). The basic training for both types of physicians includes 4 years of premedical 

education at a college or university, 4 years of medical school to earn an M.D. or D.O. degree, 

and postgraduate medical education through internships and residences. This training usually 

lasts 3 to 7 years. Physicians must pass an exam to become licensed (legally permitted) to 

practice medicine in their state. Each state or territory has its own procedures and general 

standards for licensing physicians. 

 Specialists are physicians who have completed their residency training in a specific area, 

such as internal medicine. Independent specialty boards certify physicians after they have 

fulfilled certain requirements. These requirements include meeting specific education and 

training criteria, being licensed to practice medicine, and passing an examination given by the 

specialty board. Doctors who have met all of the requirements are given the status of 

“Diplomate” and are board-certified as specialists. Doctors who are board-eligible have obtained 

the required education and training, but have not completed the specialty board examination. 

 After being trained and certified as a specialist, a physician may choose to become a 

subspecialist. A subspecialist has at least 1 additional year of full-time education in a particular 

area of a specialty. This training is designed to increase the physician’s expertise in a specific 

field. Specialists can be board-certified in their subspecialty as well. 

 The following are some specialties and subspecialties that pertain to cancer treatment: 

• Medical Oncology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Doctors who specialize in 

internal medicine treat a wide range of medical problems. Medical oncologists treat 
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cancer and manage the patient’s course of treatment. A medical oncologist may also 

consult with other physicians about the patient’s care or refer the patient to other 

specialists. 

• Hematology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Hematologists focus on diseases 

of the blood and related tissues, including the bone marrow, spleen, and lymph nodes. 

• Radiation Oncology is a subspecialty of radiology. Radiology is the use of x-rays 

and other forms of radiation to diagnose and treat disease. Radiation oncologists 

specialize in the use of radiation to treat cancer. 

• Surgery is a specialty that pertains to the treatment of disease by surgical operation. 

General surgeons perform operations on almost any area of the body. Physicians can 

also choose to specialize in a certain type of surgery; for example, thoracic surgeons 

are specialists who perform operations specifically in the chest area, including the 

lungs and the esophagus. 

The American Board of Medical Specialties® (ABMS) is a not-for-profit organization 

that assists medical specialty boards with the development and use of standards for evaluation 

and certification of physicians. Information about other specialties that treat cancer is available 

from the ABMS Web site, which can be accessed at http://www.abms.org/ on the Internet. 

 Almost all board-certified specialists are members of their medical specialty society. 

Physicians can attain Fellowship status in a specialty society, such as the American College of 

Surgeons (ACS), if they demonstrate outstanding achievement in their profession. Criteria for 

Fellowship status may include the number of years of membership in the specialty society, years 

practicing in the specialty, and professional recognition by peers. 

Finding a Doctor 

 One way to find a doctor who specializes in cancer care is to ask for a referral from your 

primary care physician. You may know a specialist yourself, or through the experience of a 

family member, coworker, or friend. 
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 The following resources may also be able to provide you with names of doctors who 

specialize in treating specific diseases or conditions. However, these resources may not have 

information about the quality of care that the doctors provide. 

• Your local hospital or its patient referral service may be able to provide you with a 

list of specialists who practice at that hospital. 

• Your nearest National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center can provide 

information about doctors who practice at that center. The NCI is a component of the 

National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NCI-Designated Cancer Centers database 

provides contact information for NCI-designated cancer centers located throughout 

the United States. It is available at 

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/cancer-centers on the Internet. 

Users can select all cancer centers or search by location, type of cancer center, or 

cancer center name. 

• The ABMS has a list of doctors who have met certain education and training 

requirements and have passed specialty examinations. The Official ABMS Directory 

of Board Certified Medical Specialists lists doctors’ names along with their specialty 

and their educational background. The directory is available in most libraries and 

online at https://www.abms.org/WC/login.aspx on the Internet. The online self-serve 

resource allows you to conduct searches by a physician's name or area of certification 

and a state name.

• The American Medical Association (AMA) DoctorFinder database at 

http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.html?aps/amahg.htm provides basic 

information on licensed physicians in the United States. Users can search for 

physicians by name or by medical specialty. 

• The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) provides an online list of 

doctors who are members of ASCO. The member database has the names and 

affiliations of over 25,000 oncologists worldwide. It can be searched by doctor’s 

name, institution, location, and/or type of board certification. This service is 

available at http://www.cancer.net/portal/site/patient (click on 

“Find an Oncologist”). 

• The American College of Surgeons (ACS) membership database is an online list of 

surgeons who are members of the ACS. The list can be searched by doctor’s name, 

geographic location, or medical specialty. This service is located at 

http://web3.facs.org/acsdir/default_public.cfm on the Internet. The ACS can be 

contacted at 633 North Saint Clair Street, Chicago, IL 60611–3211, or by telephone at 

1–800–621–4111. 
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• The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Find a D.O. database provides an 

online list of practicing osteopathic physicians who are AOA members. The 

information can be searched by doctor’s name, geographic location, or medical 

specialty. The database is available at http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm on 

the Internet. The AOA can be contacted at 142 East Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 

60611, or by telephone at 1–800–621–1773. 

• Local medical societies may maintain lists of doctors in each specialty. 

• Public and medical libraries may have print directories of doctors’ names listed 

geographically by specialty. 

• Your local Yellow Pages or Yellow Book may have doctors listed by specialty under 

“Physicians.” 

 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers Your Guide to 

Choosing Quality Health Care, which has information for consumers on choosing a health plan, 

a doctor, a hospital, or a long-term care provider. The Guide includes suggestions and checklists 

that you can use to determine which doctor or hospital is best for you. This resource is available 

at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntool.htm on the Internet. You can also order the Guide by 

calling the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1–800–358–9295.

If you are a member of a health insurance plan, your choice may be limited to doctors 

who participate in your plan. Your insurance company can provide you with a list of 

participating primary care doctors and specialists. It is important to ask your insurance company 

if the doctor you choose is accepting new patients through your health plan. You also have the 

option of seeing a doctor outside your health plan and paying the costs yourself. If you have a 

choice of health insurance plans, you may first wish to consider which doctor or doctors you 

would like to use, and then choose a plan that includes your chosen physician(s). 

If you are using a Federal or state health insurance program such as Medicare or 

Medicaid, you may want to ask the doctor about accepting patients who use these programs. 
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 You will have many factors to consider when choosing a doctor. To make an informed 

decision, you may wish to speak with several doctors before choosing one. When you meet with 

each doctor, you might want to consider the following: 

• Does the doctor have the education and training to meet my needs? 

• Does the doctor use the hospital that I have chosen? 

• Does the doctor listen to me and treat me with respect? 

• Does the doctor explain things clearly and encourage me to ask questions? 

• What are the doctor’s office hours? 

• Who covers for the doctor when he or she is unavailable? Will that person have 

access to my medical records? 

• How long does it take to get an appointment with the doctor? 

If you are choosing a surgeon, you may wish to ask additional questions about the 

surgeon’s background and experience with specific procedures. These questions may include: 

• Is the surgeon board-certified? 

• Has the surgeon been evaluated by a national professional association of surgeons, 

such as the American College of Surgeons (ACS)? 

• At which treatment facility or facilities does the surgeon practice? 

• How often does the surgeon perform the type of surgery I need? 

• How many of these procedures has the surgeon performed? What was the 

success rate? 

It is important for you to feel comfortable with the specialist that you choose because you 

will be working closely with that person to make decisions about your cancer treatment. Trust 

your own observations and feelings when deciding on a doctor for your medical care. 

Other health professionals and support services may also be important during cancer 

treatment. The NCI fact sheet Your Health Care Team: Your Doctor Is Only the Beginning has 

information about these providers and services, and how to locate them. This fact sheet is 

located at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/support/healthcare-team on the Internet. 
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Getting a Second Opinion 

 Once you receive your doctor’s opinion about the diagnosis and treatment plan, you may 

want to get another doctor’s advice before you begin treatment. This is known as getting a 

second opinion. You can do this by asking another specialist to review all of the materials 

related to your case. A second opinion can confirm or suggest modifications to your doctor’s 

proposed treatment plan, provide reassurance that you have explored all of your options, and 

answer any questions you may have. 

Getting a second opinion is done frequently, and most physicians welcome another 

doctor’s views. In fact, your doctor may be able to recommend a specialist for this consultation. 

However, some people find it uncomfortable to request a second opinion. When discussing this 

issue with your doctor, it may be helpful to express satisfaction with your doctor’s decision and 

care and to mention that you want your decision about treatment to be as thoroughly informed as 

possible. You may also wish to bring a family member along for support when asking for a 

second opinion. It is best to involve your doctor in the process of getting a second opinion, 

because your doctor will need to make your medical records (such as your test results and x-rays) 

available to the specialist. 

Some health care plans require a second opinion, particularly if a doctor recommends 

surgery. Other health care plans will pay for a second opinion if the patient requests it. If your 

plan does not cover a second opinion, you can still obtain one if you are willing to cover the cost. 

If your doctor is unable to recommend a specialist for a second opinion, or if you prefer 

to choose one on your own, the following resources can help: 

• Many of the resources listed above for finding a doctor can also help you find a 

specialist for a consultation. 
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• The NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, is the research hospital for the NIH, 

including the NCI. Several branches of the NCI provide second opinion services. 

The NCI fact sheet Cancer Clinical Trials at the National Institutes of Health 

Clinical Center: Questions and Answers describes these NCI branches and their 

services, and is available at 

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/clinical-center on the Internet. 

• The R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc., can refer cancer patients to institutions that 

are willing to provide multidisciplinary second opinions. A list of these institutions is 

available at http://www.blochcancer.org/articles/xtrnew.asp on the Internet. You can 

also contact the R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc., by telephone at 816–854–5050 

or 1–800–433–0464. 

Finding a Treatment Facility for Patients Living in the United States

 Choosing a treatment facility is another important consideration for getting the best 

medical care possible. Although you may not be able to choose which hospital treats you in an 

emergency, you can choose a facility for scheduled and ongoing care. If you have already found 

a doctor for your cancer treatment, you may need to choose a facility based on where your doctor 

practices. Your doctor may be able to recommend a facility that provides quality care to meet 

your needs. You may wish to ask the following questions when considering a treatment facility: 

• Has the facility had experience and success in treating my condition? 

• Has the facility been rated by state, consumer, or other groups for its quality of care? 

• How does the facility check on and work to improve its quality of care? 

• Has the facility been approved by a nationally recognized accrediting body, such as 

the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer and/or The Joint 

Commission? 

• Does the facility explain patients’ rights and responsibilities? Are copies of this 

information available to patients? 

• Does the treatment facility offer support services, such as social workers and 

resources, to help me find financial assistance if I need it? 

• Is the facility conveniently located? 

 If you are a member of a health insurance plan, your choice of treatment facilities may be 

limited to those that participate in your plan. Your insurance company can provide you with a 

list of approved facilities. Although the costs of cancer treatment can be very high, you have the 
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option of paying out-of-pocket if you want to use a treatment facility that is not covered by your 

insurance plan. If you are considering paying for treatment yourself, you may wish to discuss 

the possible costs with your doctor beforehand. You may also want to speak with the person 

who does the billing for the treatment facility. In some instances, nurses and social workers can 

provide you with more information about coverage, eligibility, and insurance issues. 

The following resources may help you find a hospital or treatment facility for your care: 

• The NCI-Designated Cancer Centers database (described above in the section 

“Finding a Doctor”) provides contact information for NCI-designated cancer centers 

around the country. 

• The ACS’s Commission on Cancer (CoC) accredits cancer programs at hospitals and 

other treatment facilities. More than 1,433 programs in the United States have been 

designated by the CoC as Approved Cancer Programs. The ACS Web site offers a 

searchable database of these programs at 

http://web.facs.org/cpm/CPMApprovedHospitals_Search.htm on the Internet. The 

ACS can be contacted at 633 North Saint Clair Street, Chicago, IL 60611–3211, or by 

telephone at 1–800–621–4111. 

• The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that evaluates 

and accredits health care organizations and programs in the United States. It also 

offers information for the general public about choosing a treatment facility. The 

Joint Commission Web site can be found at http://www.jointcommission.org/ on the 

Internet. The Joint Commission is located at One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook 

Terrace, IL 60181–4294. The telephone number is 630–792–5000. 

The Joint Commission offers an online Quality CheckTM service that patients can use 

to determine whether a specific facility has been accredited by the Joint Commission 

and to view the organization’s performance reports. This service is located at 

http://www.qualitycheck.org/ on the Internet. 

• The AHRQ publication Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care (described 

above in the section “Finding a Doctor”) has suggestions and checklists for choosing 

the treatment facility that is right for you. 
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Finding a Treatment Facility for Patients Living Outside the United States 

If you live outside the United States, facilities that offer cancer treatment may be located 

in or near your country. Cancer information services are available in many countries to provide 

information and answer questions about cancer; they may also be able to help you find a cancer 

treatment facility close to where you live. A list of these cancer information services is available 

on the International Cancer Information Service Group’s (ICISG) Web site at 

http://www.icisg.org/meet_memberslist.htm on the Internet, or may be requested by writing to 

the NCI Public Inquiries Office, Cancer Information Service, Room 3036A, 6116 Executive 

Boulevard, MSC 8322, Bethesda, MD 20892–8322, USA. The ICISG is an independent 

international organization composed of cancer information services. Their mission is to provide 

high-quality cancer information services and resources to those concerned about, or affected by, 

cancer throughout the world. 

The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is another resource for people living 

outside the United States who want to find a cancer treatment facility. The UICC consists of 

international cancer-related organizations devoted to the worldwide fight against cancer. UICC 

membership includes research facilities and treatment centers and, in some countries, ministries 

of health. Other members include volunteer cancer leagues, associations, and societies. These 

organizations serve as resources for the public and may have helpful information about cancer 

and treatment facilities. To find a resource in or near your country, contact the UICC at: 

International Union Against Cancer (UICC) 

 62 route de Frontenex 

 1207 Geneva 

 Switzerland 

 Telephone: + 41 22 809 18 11 

Web site: http://www.uicc.org 
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 Some people living outside the United States may wish to obtain a second opinion or 

have their cancer treatment in this country. Many facilities in the United States offer these 

services to international cancer patients. These facilities may also provide support services, such 

as language interpretation, assistance with travel, and guidance in finding accommodations near 

the treatment facility for patients and their families. 

If you live outside the United States and would like to obtain cancer treatment in this 

country, you should contact cancer treatment facilities directly to find out whether they have an 

international patient office. The NCI-Designated Cancer Centers database (described above in 

the section “Finding a Doctor”) offers contact information for NCI-designated cancer centers 

throughout the United States. This database is located at 

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/cancer-centers on the Internet 

Citizens of other countries who are planning to travel to the United States for cancer 

treatment generally must first obtain a nonimmigrant visa for medical treatment from the U.S. 

Embassy or Consulate in their home country. Visa applicants must demonstrate that the purpose 

of their trip is to enter the United States for medical treatment; that they plan to remain for a 

specific, limited period; that they have funds to cover expenses in the United States; that they 

have a residence and social and economic ties outside the United States; and that they intend to 

return to their home country. 

To determine the specific fees and documentation required for the nonimmigrant visa and 

to learn more about the application process, contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home 

country. A list of links to the Web sites of U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide can be 

found at http://usembassy.state.gov on the Internet. 
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More information about nonimmigrant visa services is available on the U.S. Department 

of State’s Web site at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/temp_1305.html on the Internet. 

# # # 

Related NCI materials and Web pages: 

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 1.3, Community Clinical Oncology Program: 

Questions and Answers (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/CCOP) 

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 1.22, Cancer Clinical Trials at the National 

Institutes of Health Clinical Center: Questions and Answers 

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/clinical-center) 

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 8.9, How To Find Resources in Your Own 

Community If You Have Cancer 

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/resources) 

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 8.10, Your Health Care Team: Your Doctor Is 

Only the Beginning

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/healthcare-team)

• National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers Database

 (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/cancer-centers)

• National Cancer Institute National Organizations That Offer Services to People With 

Cancer and Their Families Database 

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Rehabilitation/organizations) 

For more help, contact: 

NCI’s Cancer Information Service 

Telephone (toll-free): 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237) 

TTY (toll-free): 1–800–332–8615

LiveHelp® online chat: https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/livehelp/welcome.asp

This fact sheet was reviewed on 3/27/08