St. Jude Care & Treatment

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Choose a Comprehensive Cancer Center for Care

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center just for children. 

Mother comforts child in hospital room with father in background

What is a Comprehensive Cancer Center?

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) manages the federal government’s cancer research and treatment efforts. The NCI has 56 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the U.S.

Only 1 of those centers is dedicated solely to the treatment of children: St. Jude.

To be a Comprehensive Cancer Center, St. Jude must:

  • Meet strict standards
  • Be a leader in lab, clinical, and survivorship research
  • Provide cutting-edge cancer treatments
  • Lead efforts in education and community outreach
  • Undergo a rigorous review every 5–7 years by the NCI

At NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers, scientists and doctors work together to learn more about cancer. They lead and take part in clinical trials to learn how to prevent and treat cancer.

The St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center received a rating of “exceptional” in its 2 most recent NCI reviews.

In 2022, the NCI further recognized the St. Jude center by extending its grant funding period based on its long record of progress and stability.

A statue of children running and holding hands

Seeking treatment at St. Jude

Patients accepted to St. Jude must have a disease we treat and must be referred by a physician or other qualified medical professional. We accept most patients based on their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial.

How to seek treatment

Contact the Physician / Patient Referral Office

Submit online referral form

Call: 1-888-226-4343 (toll-free) or 901-595-4055 (local)  | Fax: 901-595-4011 | Email: referralinfo@stjude.org | 24-hour pager: 1-800-349-4334