After slipping in the rankings of the nation's premier cancer hospitals by the slimmest of margins last year, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is back on top.

In the latest US News & World Report's list of Best Hospitals, released Tuesday, the Houston cancer center is ranked No. 1 for the treatment of adult cancer, with an overall score of 100 out of 100.

Anderson traded places with New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which is No. 2 in the latest rankings with a 94.7 score. The two institutions have regularly exchanged the No. 1 spot since the survey, with Anderson ranked first 11 out of the last 14 years.

“We’re honored by this tremendous national recognition, but the true measure of our success is the number of lives we’ve impacted with our care, research and support,” MD Anderson President Dr. Ronald A. DePinho said in a statement. “......Our culture of exceptional care and genuine caring is second to none.”

While the list, currently in its 26th year, is criticized by some medical experts, who question the methodology and the idea of pitting hospitals against one another like a sports competition, the results are widely touted by those institutions who come out well. Houston Methodist again took out a lavish four-page ad that covered the front section of Tuesday's Houston Chronicle to tout its ranking as the best hospital in the state and the Houston area for the fourth year in a row.

Among other ranked Houston hospitals, TIRR- Memorial Hermann jumped one spot up to the No. 2 position on the list of the nation's best rehabilitation hospitals while The Menninger Clinic remains ranks No. 5 nationally among psychiatric hospitals. The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital dropped to No. 17 nationally among heart-care providers (from No. 14 last year) while Houston Methodist fell three spots to No. 21 in cardiology and heart surgery.

A full list of the best hospitals in the Houston area, including the institutions deemed tops in the region, is on the US News website.