So I'm Stage I which is lucky as hell, but I've been reading a ton since my EPP back in February and I keep seeing guys asking how to pick a center when things are further along. Figure I'd throw out what I've learned talking to folks here and my own doctors.
First thing, don't get hung up on "reputation." Yeah the big names matter but what matters more is whether they actually do the surgery you need. Some places are great at EPP but won't touch HIPEC. Some do chemo but their surgeons aren't aggressive. Ask them straight up: how many of THIS surgery do you do per year. Dr. Bueno at Brigham told me they do like 80 a year. That's different than a place doing 15.
Second, ask about wait times. And I mean real wait times, not what's on the website. When I got my diagnosis in December the center wanted to schedule me in May. That's five months. I called around and got in February. That matters when you're talking about Stage III or IV because the cancer doesn't care about your appointment calendar.
Third thing nobody talks about is what happens after surgery. Do they have a chemo team there or do you gotta drive somewhere else for the tune-up. Do they have a pulmonologist on staff. Can they handle complications. My EPP went smooth but I knew if something went sideways they had everybody in one place.
And honestly, distance. I'm in Detroit so Brigham was brutal, flights every other week for scans and followups. If you can find someone solid within a few hours that matters more than you think because you'll actually make the appointments instead of dreading the trip.
The thing I wish somebody told me: call and ask to talk to a patient coordinator, not the marketing people. Ask them what the real recovery timeline looks like, what the complications are they actually see, whether people stick with the follow-up plan. They'll tell you the truth.