Mesothelioma doctors are specialists in the treatment of mesothelioma, a cancer that is virtually always traceable to asbestos exposure. Many doctors are not familiar with this disease, and a patient who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma can certainly benefit from an examination and perhaps treatment from a doctor who is ranked among the top mesothelioma specialists. A good attorney or lawyer can also help you understand your legal rights pertaining to treatment and its cost.
Doctors for Mesothelioma Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research
The current medical knowledge about mesothelioma cancer is still somewhat basic. Mesothelioma doctors will be the first to admit that there is much research to be conducted and progress to be made in this field in all of these areas:
- its cause
- its onset
- the molecular and DNA damage
- its prognosis
- accurate information about its epidemiology, and
- the best treatment(s)
Specialist Mesothelioma Doctors
Moreover, several types of specialist physicians can be considered “mesothelioma doctors” when their specialty overlaps with this disease:
- oncologists (cancer specialists)
- thoracic (chest) surgeons
- pulmonologists (lung doctors)
- chemotherapy and/or radiation specialists
The mesothelioma doctors you consult may actually be a team of mesothelioma specialists. Indeed, treatment for mesothelioma is usually done with an interdisciplinary approach.
A List of Mesothelioma Doctors
The following physicians are mesothelioma doctors, with an emphasis in mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases. They are specialists in treating patients with malignant mesothelioma, and we have included pertinent information along with their names when possible. Oncologists, thoracic surgeons, and pulmonologists are frequently involved in the combined effort of caring for those with mesothelioma cancer. The following list is in regional order, with no particular preference or endorsement given to any one professional.
East Coast / Atlantic Seaboard:
David J. Sugarbaker, MD
Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Chief, Department of Surgical Services/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 732-6824
Dr. Sugarbaker favors aggressive treatment of pleural mesothelioma. He is a proponent of tri-modal therapy; extrapleural pneumonectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Lambros Zellos, MD, MPH
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 525-9657
Daniel Sterman, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 614-0984
Dr. Sterman has contributed to several informative articles on pleural mesothelioma treatment and clinical trials.
Joseph S. Friedberg, MD
Chief of Thoracic Surgery
University of Pennsylvania at Presbyterian,
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 662-9195
Dr. Friedberg is currently the Principal Investigator on a trial of photodynamic therapy for pleural malignancies, and a trial combining Alimta/cisplatin, surgery and XRT.
David L. Bartlett, MD
Pittsburgh, PA
Phone: (412) 692-2852
Stephen C. Yang, MD
Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery
Associate Professor of Surgery and Oncology
Surgical Director, Lung Transplantation Program
Director, Thoracic Oncology Program
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Baltimore, MD
Phone: (410) 614-3891
Richard Battafarano, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery
Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
22 S. Greene St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Dr. Battafarano is the chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and a member of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the University of Maryland Greenbaum Cancer Center. His areas of interest include lung cancer surgery, esophageal cancer surgery, and metastatic cancer to the lung.
Mark J. Krasna, MD
Towson, MD
Phone: (410) 427-2220
David H. Harpole, Jr., MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Thoracic Oncology Program
Assistant Professor of Pathology
Duke University Medical Center,
Durham, NC
Phone: (919) 668-8413
Harvey Pass, MD
Professor and Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
NYU School of Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 263-7417
Robert N. Taub, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York Presbyterian Hospital
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 305-4076
As an oncologist, Dr. Robert Taub directs the Connective Tissue Oncology Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. At this center, based at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, a number of ongoing multimodality studies are underway to help patients with pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma.
Valerie W. Rusch, FACS
Attending Thoracic Surgeon
Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 639-5873
Dr. Rusch has extensive experience treating pleural mesothelioma. She has written numerous papers comparing pleural decortication to extrapleural pneumonectomy.
Raja M. Flores, MD
Attending Thoracic Surgeon
Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 639-2806
Dr. Flores is currently the Principal Investigator on a clinical study of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy and high dose radiation. He is also involved in a trial of neoadjuvant Alimta/cisplatin, extrapleural pneumonectomy and high dose radiation. He has compiled a 1,000 patient database to research areas of failure and how to improve mesothelioma treatments.
Paul H. Sugarbaker, MD, FACS, FRCS
Director, Surgical Oncology
Washington Cancer Institute
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 877-3908
Dr. Sugarbaker specializes in treating peritoneal mesothelioma using a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Midwest / South:
David P. Mason, MD
Staff Surgeon, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH
Phone: (216) 444-4053
Dr. Mason is an advocate of aggressive multimodality therapy for malignant mesothelioma. This includes chemotherapy, extrapleural pneumonectomy, and radiation with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology team has extensive experience and clinical trials in the management of malignant mesothelioma.
Gregory P. Kalemkerian, MD
Co-Director of Thoracic Oncology
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ann Arbor, MI
Phone: (734) 936-5281
Dr. Kalemkerian directs the multidisciplinary thoracic oncology clinic at the University of Michigan Cancer Center. He has collaborated with Karmanos Cancer Institute’s thoracic oncology team to develop new mesothelioma clinical trials.
Brian W. Loggie, MD
Professor of Surgery, Creighton University Medical School
Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology
Director of Cancer Center: Creighton University Medical Center
Omaha, NE
Phone: (402) 280-4100
Dr. Loggie is a specialist in treating peritoneal carcinomatosis and peritoneal mesothelioma. His protocol involves surgical debulking in combination with intraperitoneal heated chemotherapy.
W. Roy Smythe, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Surgery
Texas A&M University System Health Sciences Center, Scott & White Hospital
Temple, TX
Phone: (254) 724-2595
Dr. Smythe is currently seeking patients for a protocol involving Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and extrapleural pneumonectomy.
David C. Rice, MD
Assistant Surgeon and Assistant Professor of Surgery
Director, Mesothelioma Program
Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery Program, Thoracic Surgery
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
Phone: (713) 794-1477
Dr. Rice is currently concluding enrollment on a Phase II trial of extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) followed by Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). He is anticipating a new trial’s opening focusing on preoperative Alimta/Cisplatin, followed by EPP and IMRT.
Lary A. Robinson, MD
Director, Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Principal Thoracic Surgical Oncologist H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 972-8412
Dr. Robinson is a member of the multidisciplinary thoracic oncology group at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida. This center evaluates and treats all stages of mesothelioma. Dr. Robinson is involved in lung cancer and mesothelioma clinical research programs.
Craig W. Stevens, MD, PhD
Division Chief, Radiation Oncology
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 972-8424
West / West Coast:
David M. Jablons, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery Chief, General Thoracic Surgery
UCSF Mt. Zion Medical Center
San Francisco, CA
Phone: (415) 885-3882
Dr. Jablons treats pleural mesothelioma with a radical pleurectomy/decortication. He is currently researching other therapies.
Claire F. Verschraegen, MD
Director, Clinical Trial Office and Investigational Drug Program
Cancer Research and Treatment Center
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Phone: (505) 272-4551
Dr. Verschraegen is conducting a cutting-edge Alimta/gemcitabine trial for peritoneal mesothelioma patients. She also offers a number of Phase I trials for patients who have already been treated with Alimta.
Eric Vallieres, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Section of General Thoracic Surgery
University of Washington Medical Center
Seattle, WA
Phone: (206) 598-4477
Dr. Vallieres employs a multidisciplinary approach to thoracic malignancies and related clinical trials.
Robert Cameron, MD
UCLA Medical Center,
Los Angeles, CA
Phone: (310) 794-7333
Locate a Mesothelioma Doctor
More doctors are becoming familiar with mesothelioma, and there may be another specialist not on this list of mesothelioma doctors who is right for you. Contact Mesothelioma Treatment Centers today for assistance and to pursue your legal options.
