MD Anderson named nation’s No. 1 cancer center for 12th consecutive year

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has been named the leading hospital in the United States for cancer care in the 2026–2027 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” survey, extending a remarkable run that has kept the Houston institution at the top of the national cancer rankings for 12 consecutive years. Since the first edition of the survey was published in 1990, MD Anderson has remained among the two highest-ranked hospitals for cancer care in the country.

The recognition reflects more than institutional prestige. Rankings for specialized cancer centers are intended to capture a complex combination of clinical outcomes, reputation among medical professionals, patient safety, nursing quality, technological capability and the depth of services available to people with difficult or rare diseases. Cancer care increasingly depends on coordinated teams that can combine surgery, radiation oncology, systemic therapies, molecular diagnostics, palliative care and rehabilitation within a single treatment strategy.

“This ranking is a tremendous honor, and it reflects our unwavering commitment to continue making progress in our mission to end cancer,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of UT MD Anderson. He credited the center’s faculty, staff, volunteers, donors, patients and families for contributing to the achievement. The statement arrives as cancer medicine is undergoing rapid changes driven by immunotherapy, precision oncology, cellular treatments and increasingly detailed genomic analysis of tumors.

MD Anderson also secured national rankings in two adult specialties across all U.S. hospitals. It was ranked No. 6 in Urology and No. 16 in Gastroenterology and GI Surgery. These specialties frequently intersect with oncology because tumors of the prostate, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, colon and other organs often require highly specialized diagnostic procedures and complex operations. Their management can involve endoscopy, robotic or open surgery, image-guided interventions, molecular testing and long-term surveillance.

The center received the highest available “High Performing” rating for six procedures and conditions: colon cancer surgery; ear, nose and throat surgery; gynecological cancer surgery; treatment for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; lung cancer surgery; and prostate cancer surgery. Such care often requires careful risk assessment before treatment, detailed staging and multidisciplinary planning. For example, surgeons may evaluate tumor location and spread alongside a patient’s lung, kidney or cardiac function, while hematologic cancer teams must consider blood counts, immune status, genetic abnormalities and the potential role of transplantation or cellular therapy.

The rating for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma is particularly relevant to a field in which treatment decisions can change rapidly as laboratory results become available. Blood cancers are not single diseases but groups of biologically distinct conditions. Modern care may depend on identifying chromosomal rearrangements, mutations, abnormal cell-surface proteins or other molecular signatures that influence prognosis and treatment selection. Therapies can range from chemotherapy and targeted drugs to antibody-based treatments, stem-cell transplantation and engineered immune cells designed to recognize malignant cells.

Over nearly 85 years, MD Anderson has pursued its mission through patient care, research, education and cancer prevention. During the most recent fiscal year, more than 197,000 patients received care at the institution, while more than 10,600 enrolled in over 1,500 clinical trials. Clinical trials are a central mechanism for testing whether an experimental intervention is safer or more effective than existing care. They also provide a pathway for patients to access therapies that may later become standards of treatment, including drugs aimed at specific molecular vulnerabilities or immune pathways.

The institution reported that more than 70% of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the last fiscal year had been tested at MD Anderson. The figure underscores the center’s role in translational research, which connects laboratory discoveries with clinical applications. In oncology, this process can involve collecting tumor tissue, studying how cancer cells resist treatment, identifying biomarkers that predict response and then evaluating a new therapy under carefully monitored trial conditions.

MD Anderson’s latest cancer ranking follows other institutional recognitions. The center maintained a five-star rating in Vizient’s 2025 rankings and reached its highest overall position to date, No. 6, for its performance across the health care continuum. It also received its sixth consecutive Magnet designation for nursing and its first Magnet Recognition with Distinction in 2025 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Nursing quality is a critical component of cancer outcomes because nurses often coordinate complex treatment schedules, monitor toxicities, educate families and identify complications before they become life-threatening.

The center also launched the $2.5 billion “Only Possible Here, The Campaign to End Cancer” in November 2025, describing it as the largest fundraising campaign in its history. According to the institution, the campaign had already raised $2.14 billion for strategic priorities. Those priorities are expected to support research, clinical programs, education and prevention initiatives as MD Anderson attempts to accelerate progress against a disease that remains biologically diverse and deeply dependent on early detection and individualized treatment.

Pisters said the national recognitions represented the work of team members, collaborators and supporters, while emphasizing that the institution’s mission extends beyond rankings. The complete U.S. News & World Report results are available through Health.USNews.com.

Web References: https://www.mdanderson.org/ ; https://health.usnews.com/ ; https://onlypossiblehere.mdanderson.org/

References: U.S. News & World Report 2026–2027 “Best Hospitals” survey; Vizient 2025 rankings; American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.