A mesothelioma diagnosis is terrible news, but residents of Massachusetts with this cancer have hope. They can get expert, world-class care right in their home state. Leading cancer centers with specialists and mesothelioma programs are available in and around Boston.
Massachusetts Cancer Centers
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer, so finding specialists can be challenging. And yet, it is important to work with experts because it is so difficult to treat. If you live in Massachusetts, you have more options than most for excellent treatment.
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recognizes DF/HCC as a comprehensive cancer center, a facility that leads the nation in cancer treatment and research. The father of modern chemotherapy, Dr. Sidney Farber, founded the cancer center in 1947. For mesothelioma patients, there are several reasons to come here for a second opinion and treatment:[1]
- The DF/HCC is a consortium of several academic and medical institutions, including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
- The consortium hosts numerous clinical trials and leads the way in getting new cancer treatments approved. By participating in trials, mesothelioma patients can benefit from the research indirectly and also directly.
- The Clinical Pathways Program is a unique patient management system that uses a decision tree based on evidence for effective treatment and care.
- Profile, a genetic profiling initiative, helps the DF/HCC offer the most precise treatment plan possible for mesothelioma and other cancer patients.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is the founding member of the DF/HCC and a top choice for care for cancer patients in the entire region. Much of the excellent care for cancer patients in the consortium occurs here.[2]
The Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment Center uses a team approach to treat cancers like peritoneal mesothelioma. In addition to the latest treatments and procedures, patients benefit from nutritional counseling, physical therapy, integrative therapies, support groups, and palliative care.[2]
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Another part of the consortium that is so important for cancer care, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is staffed by mesothelioma specialists and multidisciplinary care teams. It is also home to the International Mesothelioma Program.[3]
Patients can benefit from the care of medical teams, including oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and others. These teams personalize treatment for each mesothelioma patient. There are very few programs in the country that focus exclusively on mesothelioma, including specialists in this rare cancer.[3]
Massachusetts General Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Cancer Center offers expert care from specialists in various types of cancer. The staff works in teams to provide personalized, innovative care to mesothelioma and other patients.
Surgical offerings include robotic, video-assisted, minimally invasive, and cytoreductive surgeries, including HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma. The Center can also offer patients immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.[4]
Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center
Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center in Boston is a premier treatment center in the region. Tufts specialists treat pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma as well as asbestos lung cancer, offering varied surgical techniques, HIPEC, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and more. Tufts also conducts research and hosts clinical trials.[5]
VA Boston Healthcare System
The Veterans Administration treatment centers in Boston is one of the treatment facilties in the country for veterans with mesothelioma. Veterans have disproportionately high rates of mesothelioma and can benefit from the specialists at VA Boston.
VA Boston consists of several treatment facilities in Boston, Brockton, and West Roxbury. It is affiliated with other cancer centers, allowing physicians here to collaborate with mesothelioma specialists around the country.[6]
Massachusetts Mesothelioma Specialists
Mesothelioma specialists are hard to come by in most of the country, but not in Boston. Patients in the state have some of the best experts in the country right in their own backyard.
Raphael Bueno, M.D.
Dr. Bueno is the Division of Thoracic Surgery Chief at Brigham and Women’s and is the leader of the International Mesothelioma Program. He also directs the Lung Center. As a thoracic surgeon, Dr. Bueno is an expert in performing procedures to treat pleural mesothelioma. He also leads research that aims to develop new treatments for lung cancer and mesothelioma.[7]
Nelya Melnitchouk, M.D.
Dr. Melnitchouk is the Director of the Program in Peritoneal Surface Malignancy, HIPEC, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a gastrointestinal surgeon and offers the innovative treatment of cytoreductive surgery followed by HIPEC. This procedure is not available everywhere but is the best option for extended life expectancy and even a cure for most patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.[8]
Additional Mesothelioma Specialists in Massachusetts
- Hugh Auchncloss, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Laurence Brinckerhoff, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Boston Medical Center, Boston
- Yolanda Colson, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- James Cusack, M.D., surgical oncologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Justin F. Gainor, M.D., medical oncologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Henning Gaissert, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Martin Goodman, M.D., surgical oncologist, Tufts Medical Center, Boston
- Pasi A. Jänne, M.D., medical oncologist, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston
- Bruce E. Johnson, M.D., lung cancer researcher, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston
- David M. Jackman, M.D., thoracic oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
- Hassan A. Khalil, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
- David J. Kwiatkowski, M.D., thoracic oncologist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
- Michael Lanuti, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Scott J. Swanson, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
- Henning Willers, M.D., thoracic radiation oncologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials in Massachusetts
A clinical trial is a study of a novel treatment or therapy that involves patients as participants. Researchers test the effectiveness and safety of treatments, surgical procedures, therapies, and diagnostic tools. If you are interested in accessing treatments that are not yet available to most people, consider participating in a clinical trial.
Your medical team can help you weigh the benefits and risks and determine if you qualify. Right now, there are 20 clinical trials in Massachusetts recruiting patients with a mesothelioma diagnosis. Some examples include:
- Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors (MK-3475-158/KEYNOTE-158). This study is testing the effectiveness of an immunotherapy drug in cancers that have spread.[9]
- A Phase I Study of IAG933 in Patients With Advanced Mesothelioma and Other Solid Tumors. Novartis Pharmaceuticals is sponsoring this study of a novel drug called IAG933. It is a phase I study of tolerated dosages and safety.[10]
- Chemotherapy With or Without Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma. This phase II study is recruiting qualifying patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. Researchers are testing the safety and effectiveness of immunotherapy for this type of mesothelioma.[]
If you have been diagnosed with this terrible cancer, one source of hope is the availability of world-class treatment. Boston is home to some of the best treatment facilities in the U.S. and the world, as well as several mesothelioma specialists.
