Best Mesothelioma Cancer Doctors
Selecting a doctor is an important decision that every mesothelioma patient has the power to make. The right doctor will give every patient the best chance for survival. Here are a select few of the top mesothelioma doctors in America who changed the way mesothelioma is treated and continue to develop new ways to manage the disease.
Boston's Dr. David Sugarbaker
Working from Boston, Dr. David Sugarbaker has practiced thoracic oncology for 30 years and currently treats lung cancer patients and patients with pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Sugarbaker is the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, an organization responsible for many breakthroughs and successful clinical trials. Dr. Sugarbaker also works for Boston's Dana Faber Cancer Institute as a surgeon and cancer investigator. Dr. Sugarbaker is responsible for the development of current trimodality treatments, which are the gold standard. Dr. Sugarbaker is also responsible for improving and refining a tumor removal procedure known as an extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), which has drastically improved survival rates in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma and pleural cancers are the chief focus of Dr. Sugarbaker's clinical trials and laboratory research, which includes surgery, radiation therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy.
New York City's Dr. Harvey Pass
Currently working from New York City and the Cancer Institute at New York University, Dr. Harvey Pass is the influential surgeon behind the discovery of mesothelin, several blood-serum biomarkers and dozens of breakthroughs that have furthered scientists' knowledge of mesothelioma and, as a result, have led to the development of new treatments. Dr. Pass is one of the most respected oncologists and thoracic surgeons dedicated to treating patients with pleural mesothelioma and creating new treatment methods. Before moving to NYU, Dr. Pass was responsible for mesothelioma research at the Karmanos Cancer Center at Wayne State University in Michigan, which is one of the top mesothelioma treatment facilities in the U.S. Committed to developing innovative treatments, Dr. Pass was one of the first surgeons to use intraoperative photodynamic therapy (PDT) and laser-activated compounds to kill cancer cells and mesothelioma tumors.
Pittsburgh's Dr. David Bartlett
Known for helping peritoneal mesothelioma patients that have not responded to chemotherapy and other treatments, Dr. David Bartlett is a renowned surgical oncologist who pioneered a technique known as regional perfusion where chemotherapy agents are applied directly to tumors in the affected area using a surgical procedure. Dr. Bartlett is popular with patients and peers, and he has helped several mesothelioma patients successfully beat their estimated survival rates. Working from the Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Bartlett is the organization's Chief of Surgical Oncology and one of the nation's foremost experts on treating peritoneal mesothelioma and asbestos-related tumors in the abdominal wall. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Bartlett completed a residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and an advanced surgical fellowship at Sloan-Kettering.
Philadelphia's Dr. Larry R. Kaiser
Before he was appointed to directorial positions at Temple University in Philadelphia, Dr. Larry R. Kaiser developed mesothelioma treatment programs at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston. Currently employed by Temple University as the CEO of their medical system and the dean of their medical school, Dr. Kaiser has risen to the highest level of surgical academia. Dr. Kaiser developed visionary oncology programs and novel treatments for pleural mesothelioma. His inventions and research work includes breakthroughs in videoscopic surgery, minimally invasive lung surgery techniques, and experimental work with viruses and gene therapy medications that induce cell death in mesothelioma tumors. Dr. Kaiser has been treating patients with pleural mesothelioma for more than 30 years.
Houston's Dr. David Rice
Born and educated in Ireland, Dr. David Rice is one of the youngest and most visionary surgical oncologists to specialize in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Rice's professional philosophy is centered on improving the international cancer staging systems for mesothelioma patients and using minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible. Working from the award-winning MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston, Dr. Rice directs the organization's Mesothelioma Surgery Program and the Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Program. Dr. Rice is an award-winning surgeon trained in Ireland and the United States. Dr. Rice currently performs minimally invasive surgeries, including lobectomies and extrapleural pneumonectomies. Dr. David Rice pioneered innovative staging methods using endobronchial ultrasound, and he is currently performing clinical trials and research on adjuvant therapies, including radiation and chemotherapy, which are included in classic trimodality treatments.
Washington D.C.'s Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker
Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker is one of the most experienced and respected surgical oncologists specializing in treating patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. His academic work, scientific papers and educational materials earned him recognition within the international surgical community. Dr. Sugarbaker began his career as a cancer investigator and department director at the National Institute of Health before joining the Washington Cancer Institute as its Medical Director in 1989. Dr. Sugarbaker is the current director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Program at the Washington Cancer Institute, which is part of the Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Sugarbaker is one of the foremost peritoneal mesothelioma specialists in Washington, D.C., the Mid-Atlantic region and the world. During his long and distinguished career, Dr. Sugarbaker has experimented with hyperthermia procedures to kill abdominal mesothelioma tumors with direct heat applications and injections of heated chemotherapy agents that are applied directly to the tumor site.
Each one of these physicians is responsible for past innovations, surgical refinements and current changes that are prolonging long-term survival rates for all mesothelioma patients. These surgical oncologists have been involved with developing and directing the most respected mesothelioma treatment centers in the United States. For more information on selecting a mesothelioma treatment center and comparing treatment methods, sign up to receive a free patient guide filled with answers to the most commonly asked mesothelioma questions.