Florida’s booming construction industry and shipyard workplaces have contributed to thousands of asbestos-related deaths over decades. Current patients with mesothelioma have more options for treatment and expert care with several specialists and excellent cancer centers in the state.
Cancer Treatment Centers in Florida
Florida is home to a few cancer centers, two of which are recognized by the National Cancer Institute and staffed by experts in cancer care and specialists in mesothelioma. The Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the NCI and is one of the few cancer centers that specifically treats mesothelioma.[1]
- Moffitt is a free-standing cancer center that partners with several South Florida hospitals and medical centers.
- Cancer researchers at Moffitt are working on cancer biology and evolution, cancer epidemiology, prevention and detection of cancer, and immunology.
- Moffitt hosts and runs multiple clinical trials to give patients access to cutting-edge treatments.
- The Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center at Moffitt provides specialized treatment for this rare cancer.
- The Thoracic Oncology Program includes a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and more, who work together to treat pleural mesothelioma.
- The team of specialists creates a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan for each patient.
The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is an NCI-recognized facility at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.[2]
- Sylvester is equipped to treat patients with pleural mesothelioma.
- The staff includes specialists in gastrointestinal surgical oncology who can treat peritoneal mesothelioma.
- Patients benefit from one of the best robotic video-assisted surgery programs in the region.
- Sylvester offers patients the most advanced radiation therapies, including intensity-modulated external radiation therapy with greater accuracy.
- Patients receive treatment from multidisciplinary teams of experts.
The AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando is another top cancer center in Florida. It emphasizes whole-person treatment and personalized care and offers nurse navigators to help patients coordinate care during a difficult time.
Mesothelioma specialist Dr. Marcelo DaSilva is the surgical director. He is an experienced thoracic surgeon and leads a team of specialists who can treat asbestos lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, and peritoneal mesothelioma.
Florida Mesothelioma Specialists
With two excellent cancer centers in the state and departments that treat mesothelioma, patients have several options for specialists. Because this cancer is so rare, it is important to work with experts who specialize in mesothelioma if possible.
Jhanelle Gray, M.D.
Dr. Gray is the head of the Moffitt Department of Thoracic Oncology. She is a medical oncologist and works with surgeons and other specialists to treat several cancers, including pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Gray also heads the research program for the department and runs clinical trials that help patients access new treatments.[3]
Sophie Dessureault, M.D.
A surgical oncologist at Moffitt, Dr. Dessureault specializes in treating gastrointestinal cancers, including peritoneal mesothelioma. She is one of the few physicians qualified to perform cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC, the best treatment for most patients with this rare cancer.[4]
Jacques P. Fontaine, M.D.
Dr. Fontaine leads the Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center at Moffitt. A thoracic surgical oncologist, he became interested in mesothelioma during a fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. There, he trained under Dr. David Sugarbaker, who was one of the leading specialists in managing pleural mesothelioma.[5]
Tawee Tanvetyanon, M.D.
Dr. Tanvetyanon is a researcher and medical oncologist who focuses on thoracic cancers like pleural mesothelioma. A part of the mesothelioma program at Moffitt, he trains new surgeons, treats patients as part of a multidisciplinary team and leads multiple clinical trials.[6]
Nestor Ricardo Villamizar, M.D.
A thoracic surgeon at Sylvester, Dr. Villamizar specializes in treating lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, and other cancers of the chest. He uses robotic surgery for minimally invasive procedures and works with other experts to give patients the best options. He also directs the Lung Cancer Screening Clinic, which attempts to detect cancer early.[7]
Marcelo DaSilva, M.D.
Dr. DaSilva is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon who heads the surgical department at AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando. He began specializing in mesothelioma treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has pioneered the use of heated intraoperative chemotherapy.[8]
Additional Mesothelioma Specialists in Florida
- Syed Osman Ali, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa
- Bassan J. Allan, M.D., surgical oncologist, South Florida Surgical Oncology, Fort Myers
- Evan Alley, M.D., medical oncologist, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston
- Christopher Aquina, M.D., surgical oncologist, AdventHealth, Orlando
- Rama Balamaran, M.D., medical oncologist, Florida Cancer Affiliates, Ocala
- Sanjay Bagaria, M.D., surgical oncologist, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
- Bruno Bastos, M.D., medical oncologist, Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health, Miami
- Juskaran S. Chadha, D.O., medical oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Alberto Chiappori, M.D., medical and thoracic oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Konstantinos Chouliaras, M.D., surgical oncologist, Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville
- Sean Dineen, M.D., gastrointestinal oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Mark Richard Dylewski, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami
- Alan Dal Pra, M.D., radiation oncologist, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami
- John DeRosimo, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health, Miami
- Eric Haura, M.D., thoracic oncologist, Moffitt Lung Cancer Center of Excellence, Tampa
- Luis J. Herrera, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Orlando Health Cancer Institute, Orlando
- Tirrell Tremayne Johnson, M.D., medical oncologist, Orlando Health Cancer Institute, Orlando
- Frederic J. Kaye, M.D., hematologist, oncologist, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Gainesville
- Bela Kis, M.D., interventional radiologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Rupesh Rajesh Kotecha, M.D., radiation oncologist, Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health, Miami
- Omar H. Llaguna, M.D., surgical oncologist, Memorial Healthcare System, Broward County
- K. Adam Lee, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Jupiter Medical Center, Jupiter
- Yanhan Lou, M.D., medical oncologist, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
- Rami Manochakian, M.D., medical oncologist, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
- Minesh Mehta, M.D., radiation oncologist, Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health, Miami
- Rajesh Muralee Nair, M.D., surgical oncologist, Orlando Health Cancer Institute, Orlando
- Dao Minh Nguyen, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami
- Bradford Perez, M.D., radiation oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Estelamari Rodriguez, M.D., hematologist and oncologist, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami
- John R. Roberts, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute, Boca Raton
- Stephen Rosenberg, M.D., radiation oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Andreas Saltos, M.D., medical oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Michael Shafique, M.D., thoracic oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- George Simon, M.D., medical oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
- Mark A. Socinski, M.D., medical oncologist, AdventHealth Cancer Institute, Orlando
- K. Eric Sommers, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa
- Mathew Thomas, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
- Wickii Vigneswaran, M.D., thoracic surgeon and oncologist, James A. Haley VA Hospital, Tampa
Clinical Trials for Mesothelioma Patients in Florida
These cancer centers treat patients through traditional therapies but also by offering novel treatments in clinical trials. For mesothelioma patients, these trials represent the hope of a treatment that will extend their lives and improve their quality of life. There are several clinical trials now running in Florida that are recruiting mesothelioma patients to participate, including:
- Testing the Addition of Immunotherapy Before Surgery for Patients With Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma. This is a phase II trial recruiting patients with sarcomatoid mesothelioma. Researchers are testing the effectiveness of nivolumab and ipilimumab given before surgery.[9]
- MEDI5752 in Combination With Carboplatin Plus Pemetrexed in Unresectable Pleural Mesothelioma (eVOLVE-Meso). This is a phase III study of the effectiveness and safety of a new drug called Volrustomig given with chemotherapy and compared to chemotherapy with immunotherapy.[10]
- A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of A2B694, a Logic-gated CAR T, in Subjects With Solid Tumors That Express MSLN and Have Lost HLA-A*02 Expression (EVEREST-2). This study is recruiting patients with certain types of cancer, including mesothelioma. The researchers are testing a new CAR T-cell therapy.[11]
Patients in Florida who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma are fortunate to have multiple options for treatment. The Moffitt and Sylvester Cancer Centers are some of the best in the country and include mesothelioma specialists on staff.
