Nagourney Cancer Institute

Nagourney Cancer Institute At Nagourney Cancer Institute (formerly Rational Therapeutics), we believe that every cancer patient deserves the right treatment the first time, every time.

Your cancer is as unique as your fingerprint. Drugs that work for one patient may not work for another, even if they carry exactly the same diagnosis. We offer testing that measures how your cancer cells will respond to drugs BEFORE you receive them. This testing helps select the most effective and least toxic drug regimen for your cancer. Our founder and medical director, Dr. Robert Nagourney, ha

s been internationally recognized as a pioneer in cancer research and personalized cancer treatment for over 20 years. He has worked 20+ years refining a process that examines the biology of your tumor to identify the most effective, least toxic treatment for YOU. Our patients have been shown to be twice as likely on average to respond to a cancer treatment when chosen in our laboratory compared with standard treatment protocols. With these results, you and your doctors are equipped with personalized information to make the most informed decision to treat YOUR cancer. Truly Personalized Cancer Care.

What if the treatment question is not just:“Which drug is used for this diagnosis?”But:Which drug shows activity against...
08/14/2026

What if the treatment question is not just:
“Which drug is used for this diagnosis?”

But:
Which drug shows activity against this patient’s cancer?

Two patients can have the same cancer name, the same stage, and the same standard options - yet respond very differently.

That is why averages can only tell part of the story.

At Nagourney Cancer Institute, Functional Profiling studies a patient’s cancer cells in the lab to help identify which approved, novel, and investigational therapy options show response.

Because when options feel limited, the next decision should not be based on diagnosis alone.

It should be informed by the biology of the cancer in front of us.

08/11/2026

Stage Four cancer is often spoken about like a closing door.🚪

For patients and families, it can feel like the conversation suddenly gets smaller.

Fewer options. More urgency. More fear. More pressure to choose the next treatment quickly.

Most patients do exactly what they are supposed to do.
They find the best Oncologists.
They follow the standard treatment plan based on NCCN guidelines.
They trust the system.
And standard treatment pathways are important.

But when cancer is advanced, previously treated, rare, or no longer responding, the next decision may need more than a standard answer.

It more often than not needs a deeper question:

What does this cancer respond to now? :)

At Nagourney Cancer Institute, measured tumor response testing studies how a patient’s cancer cells respond in the lab to approved, novel, and investigational therapy options.

That information can help patients and families better understand potential options to discuss with their oncology team.

Because Stage Four cancer shouldn’t be the end of asking what’s possible. 🤍

If you or someone you love is facing advanced cancer or limited treatment options, reach out to NCI. Our team can help you understand how testing may provide more information for the next treatment conversation.

A diagnosis is only part of the story.Two people can have the same type of cancer, but their cancer cells may respond ve...
08/04/2026

A diagnosis is only part of the story.

Two people can have the same type of cancer, but their cancer cells may respond very differently to the same therapy.

That is why measurement matters.

At Nagourney Cancer Institute, patient-derived cancer cells are studied in the lab against approved, novel, and investigational therapy options to better understand sensitivity, resistance, and response.

The goal is to bring more information into the conversation - especially when the standard path feels limited.

Because the next question should not only be:

“What is usually done?”

It should also be:

“What does this cancer actually respond to?”

If you or someone you know is facing limited options after a cancer diagnosis, discover how NCI may help provide more information about what comes next. 🫂

What gets measured can change the conversation.At Nagourney Cancer Institute, testing begins with patients active cancer...
07/31/2026

What gets measured can change the conversation.

At Nagourney Cancer Institute, testing begins with patients active cancer cells.

In the lab, those cells can be studied against FDA-approved drugs, drug combinations, and investigational agents to better understand sensitivity, resistance, and response.

The goal is to provide more information that may help guide a more personal treatment discussion - especially when the next step feels unclear.

Because cancer treatment should not be based on the diagnosis alone.

It should also ask:

What does this patient’s cancer actually respond to?

If you or someone you know is facing a cancer diagnosis or limited treatment options, learn how NCI may help inform the next conversation. 🤍

07/29/2026

NCI’s work can apply across many forms of cancer - but its greatest purpose is often in the cancers where answers are hardest to find.

Some cancers respond well to conventional treatment. But for patients with advanced, previously treated, rare, or difficult-to-treat cancers, the next step is not always clear.

In this segment, Dr. Nagourney explains why Nagourney Cancer Institute focuses so much of its work on the places where standard options may be limited - cancers like pancreatic cancer, rare diseases, or cases where patients have already tried multiple treatments.

The goal is not to dismiss standard oncology.

It is to ask deeper questions when the standard path is not enough:

What is this cancer still sensitive to?
What options show activity in the lab?
What more can we learn before the next decision is made?

Because when cancer reaches the hardest-to-treat places, patients deserve more than averages alone.

If you or someone you know is facing advanced or difficult-to-treat cancer, learn more about how NCI may help support a more informed treatment conversation. 🤍💫

Standard cancer treatment options can be an important starting point.But it’s also important to remember that cancer is ...
07/27/2026

Standard cancer treatment options can be an important starting point.

But it’s also important to remember that cancer is not average - and treatment decisions should not rely on averages alone.

At Nagourney Cancer Institute, therapy response can be studied in the lab to help understand which options show activity against a patient’s cancer cells before treatment decisions are made. 🧫

This does not replace your oncology team but rather helps add more information to the conversation, especially when options feel limited or the next step is unclear.

If you or someone you know is facing a late stage cancer diagnosis, discover how individualized cancer testing may help support a more informed treatment discussion at NCI. 🩵

Evidence and hope don’t have to exist separately.When treatment options feel limited, patients and families often need m...
07/23/2026

Evidence and hope don’t have to exist separately.

When treatment options feel limited, patients and families often need more than reassurance. They need information that can help guide the next conversation. :)

At Nagourney Cancer Institute, measured tumor response testing is used to study how a patient’s cancer cells respond in the lab, helping support more informed treatment discussions with their care team. 🔬

If you or someone you know is facing limited treatment options with their cancer diagnosis, discover how Nagourney Cancer Institute can help provide more information before the next treatment decision. 🩵

Same diagnosis. Same drug. Two completely different outcomes. 🔬This happens more often than most patients realize - and ...
07/21/2026

Same diagnosis. Same drug. Two completely different outcomes. 🔬

This happens more often than most patients realize - and it’s one of the most important things to understand about cancer treatment.

Cancer isn’t just defined by its type or stage. It’s also defined by its biology. And tumor biology varies from patient to patient. That variability is why two people with the same diagnosis can respond so differently to the same treatment.

Measured tumor response matters because it accounts for that variability. Rather than relying solely on what worked across a population, it looks at how your specific cancer cells respond to approved therapies, novel combinations, and investigational options - directly in the lab. 🧬

That’s what NCI evaluates. Not what should work based on your diagnosis. What does work based on your biology.

If you or someone you love is facing a late stage cancer diagnosis, call us before your next biopsy to understand your cancer specific treatment options. 🤍

07/16/2026

When you’re diagnosed with any form of cancer, you do what anyone would do:

You find the best doctor. You follow their guidance. You trust the system.

Glenn Bernstein did all of that. He had hairy cell lukemia - a rare blood cancer - and tracked down one of the top specialists in the country.

What he didn’t know was that the treatment being recommended was selected from a standard list - not necessarily tested against his specific cancer cells. Not built around his biology.

He was enrolled in a clinical trial. The drug worked for a month. Then came the side effects — skin cancers, surgeries, complications that kept compounding.

His medical team made the call to stop treatment before it caused permanent damage.

That’s when Glenn learned about Dr. Robert Nagourney and the cancer specific treatments at Nagourney Cancer Institute. 12 years later, Glenn is right here with us! 🩵

His story isn’t about blame. It’s about what happens when the system runs out of answers — and what becomes possible when someone asks a different question.

If you or someone you love is facing limited treatment options, learn more about individualized cancer testing at NCI or visit the link in bio.

07/13/2026

Maria Lewis was diagnosed with Stage Four triple-negative breast cancer at 50.

It had spread to her kidney and lymph nodes, and she was told she may have 3 to 6 months to live.

For many patients, a diagnosis like this can feel like the end of the conversation.

But Maria’s story is a reminder that when cancer is advanced, it is still worth asking deeper questions:

Has my cancer been understood as an individual disease?
Have my treatment options been reviewed beyond the average response?

Is there more information that could help guide the next decision

Not every patient will have the same outcome.
But every patient deserves to be seen as more than a statistic. 💫

Nine years later, Maria is still here.
Her youngest child is now 17. 🩵

This is Maria’s story, in her own words.

If you or someone you know is facing limited treatment options, consider learning more about Nagourney Cancer Institute and how individualized cancer testing may help inform the next conversation with your care team. 🔬

Visit nagourneycancerinstitute.com or use the link in bio.

Address

750 E 29th Street
Long Beach, CA
90806

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+18005424357

Website

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