How is mesothelioma treated?
Treatment for mesothelioma depends on the location of the cancer,
the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and general health.
Standard mesothelioma treatment options include surgery, radiation
therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined.
Surgery Treatment for Mesothelioma
Surgery is a common treatment for mesothelioma. The doctor may remove
part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue
around it. For cancer of the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), a lung
may be removed in an operation called a pneumonectomy. Sometimes part
of the diaphragm, the muscle below the lungs that helps with breathing,
is also removed.
Radiation Therapy for Mesothelioma
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, involves the use of
high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation
therapy affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. The radiation
may come from a machine (external radiation) or from putting materials
that produce radiation through thin plastic tubes into the area where
the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells
throughout the body. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are given
by injection into a vein (intravenous, or IV). Doctors are also studying
the effectiveness of putting chemotherapy directly into the chest
or abdomen (intracavitary chemotherapy).
To relieve symptoms and control pain, the doctor may use a needle
or a thin tube to drain fluid that has built up in the chest or abdomen.
The procedure for removing fluid from the chest is called thoracentesis.
Removal of fluid from the abdomen is called paracentesis. Drugs may
be given through a tube in the chest to prevent more fluid from accumulating.
Radiation therapy and surgery may also be helpful in relieving symptoms.
Are new treatments for mesothelioma being studied?
Yes. Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) is sponsoring clinical trials (research studies with
people) that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to
use current treatments. Before any new treatment can be recommended
for general use, doctors conduct clinical trials to find out whether
the treatment is safe for patients and effective against the disease.
Participation in clinical trials is an important treatment option
for many patients with mesothelioma.
People interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk
with their doctor. Information about clinical trials is available
from the Cancer Information Service (CIS) (see below) at 1–800–4–CANCER.
Information specialists at the CIS use PDQ®, NCI's cancer information
database, to identify and provide detailed information about specific
ongoing clinical trials. Patients also have the option of searching
for clinical trials on their own. The clinical trials page on the
NCI's http://www.cancer.gov Web site, located at http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials
on the Internet, provides general information about clinical trials
and links to PDQ.
People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI booklet
Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know.
This booklet describes how research studies are carried out and explains
their possible benefits and risks. The booklet is available by calling
the CIS, or from the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/publications
on the Internet.
Where to treate mesothelioma?
Below is a list of medical centers
that are expreienced in diagnosis and treatment of mesotheliomaAlabama
Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Alabama Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Basic Health Sciences Building
1824 Sixth Avenue South
237 T.I.
Birmingham, AL 35294-3300
205-934-5077
Arizona Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
University Medical Center
1501 North Campbell Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85724
520-694-8888
California Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA
Box 951781
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1781
310-825-5268
USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
1441 Eastlake Avenue MS #83
Los Angeles, CA 90033-0800
323-865-0816
City of Hope National Medical Center
Beckman Research Institute
1500 East Duarte Road
East Duarte, CA 91010-3000
626-359-8111
Salk Institute
Cancer Center
10010 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037
619-453-4100 x1386
The Burnham Institute
10901 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037
619-455-6480 x3209
University of California at Davis
Cancer Center
4501 X Street
Davis, California
916-734-5900, toll-free 800-362-5566
University of California at Irvine
Cancer Center
Building #23 4th Floor
101 The City Drive
Orange, CA 92868
714-456-6310
University of California at San
Diego Cancer Center
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0658
619-534-7600
University of California at San
Francisco Cancer Center
Box 0128, UCSF
San Francisco, CA 94143-0128
415-476-2201 Colorado Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
University of Colorado Cancer Center
4200 East 9th Avenue
Denver, CO 80262
303-315-3007
Connecticut Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center
Yale University School of Medicine
333 Cedar Street
New Haven, CT 06520-8028
203-785-4095
Washington, DC Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Lombardi Cancer Research Center
Georgetown University Medical Center
3800 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-687-2110
Florida Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
12902 Magnolia Drive
Tampa, FL 33612-9497
813-979-3050
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Miami Medical School
1475 Northwest 12th Avenue, Room 4023
Miami, FL 33136
305-243-1000
Hawaii Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Cancer Research Center of Hawaii
University of Hawaii at Manoa
1236 Lauhala Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-586-3013
Illinois Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
University of Chicago Cancer
Research Center
5841 South Maryland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center
Northwestern University
303 East Chicago Avenue
Olson Pavilion, Room 8250
Chicago, IL 60611
312-908-5250
Indiana Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Purdue University Cancer Center
Hansen Life Sciences Research Building
South University Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1524
765-494-9129
The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609-0800
207-288-6041
Maryland Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center
600 North Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21287-8943
410-955-8822
Massachusetts Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney Street
Boston, MA 02115
617-632-3000
Center for Cancer Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room E17-110
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
617-253-6422
Michigan Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
University of Michigan
Comprehensive Cancer Center
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
800-865-1125
Barbara Ann Karmanos
Cancer Institute
110 East Warren Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201
800-KARMANOS
Minnesota Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Mayo Cancer Center
Mayo Foundation
200 First Street SW
Rochester, MN 55905
507-284-3753
University of Minnesota
Cancer Center
Box 806, 420 Delaware Street, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-624-8484
Nebraska Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Creighton University Medical Center
Cancer Center
601 N. 30th Street
Omaha, NE 68131
Phone: 402-280-5009
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Eppley Cancer Center
600 South 42nd Street
Omaha, NE
402-559-7081
New Hampshire Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Dartmouth-Hitchock Medical Center
One Medical Center Drive
Lebanon, NH 03756-0001
603-650-6300
New Jersey Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
195 Little Albany Street, Room 2002B
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
732-235-8064
New York Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Cancer Research Center
Chanin Building
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461
718-430-2302
American Health Foundation
320 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017
212-953-1900
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
PO Box 100
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
516-367-8383
Herbert Irving
Comprehensive Cancer Center
College of Physicians and Surgeons
701 West 168th Street, Room 1509
New York, NY 10032
212-305-6921
Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
800-525-2225
212-639-2000
NYU Cancer Institute
550 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-263-5349
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Elm and Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263-0001
800-767-9355
University of Rochester Cancer Center
601 Elmwood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14642
716-275-6292
North Carolina Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of North Carolina
School of Medicine Chapel Hill
CB#7295
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295
919-966-3036
Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
Duke University Medical Center
Box 3843
Durham, NC 27710
919-684-5613
Comprehensive Cancer Center of
Wake Forest University at Bowman
Gray School of Medicine
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
336-716-7971
Ohio Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital
300 West 10th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210
614-293-4878
Case Western Reserve University
Cancer Research Center
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
Oregon Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Oregon Cancer Center
Oregon Health Sciences University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, L609
Portland, OR 97201-3098
503-464-1617
Pennsylvania Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Fox Chase Cancer Center
7701 Burholme Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
215-728-3600
Wistar Institute Cancer Center
3601 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4268
215-898-3926
Cancer Center
University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center
16 Penn Tower
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-662-6334
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
3471 5th Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2592
412-692-4670
Kimmel Cancer Center
233 South 10th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-503-4645
Clinical Cancer Center
Tennessee Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
332 North Lauderdale Street
Memphis, TN 38105
901-495-3300
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Vanderbilt University
649 Medical Research Building II
Nashville, TN 37232
800-811-8480
615-936-5847
Texas Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
The University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcolmbe Boulevard
Houston, TX 77030
713-792-7500
San Antonio Cancer Institute
8122 Datapoint Drive, Suite 600
San Antonio, TX 78229
210-616-5580
Utah Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Huntsman Cancer Institute
University of Utah Health
Sciences Center
15 North 2030 East, Room 2100
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
801-581-4048
801-581-4330
Vermont Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Vermont Regional Cancer Center
University of Vermont
Medical Alumni Building
Burlington, VT 05405-0068
802-656-4414
Virginia Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Cancer Center
University of Virginia Health
Sciences Center
Box 334
Charlottesville, VA 22908
804-924-2562
Massey Cancer Center
Medical College of Virginia
401 College Street
Richmond, VA 23298
804-828-0450
Washington Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Avenue
PO Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109-1024
206-667-5000
Wisconsin Mesothelioma Treatment Centers
University of Wisconsin
Comprehensive Cancer Center
600 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53792-0001
608-263-8600
McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research
University of Wisconsin
1400 University Avenue, Room 1009
Madison, WI 53706-1599
608-262-2177
Mesothelioma
Attorney Guide