Tennessee mesothelioma treatment and doctors play a pivotal role in helping patients with this terrible diagnosis live longer and better. Tennessee is home to one nationally recognized cancer center and other facilities capable of helping peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma patients.
Tennessee Cancer Treatment Centers
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in Tennessee, you have options for treatment. This includes one facility recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Located in Nashville, Vanderbilt is a designated NCI facility, noted for its contribution to cancer research and excellence in patient care. For mesothelioma patients, this treatment center provides the most advanced treatment options and specialists in this rare cancer:[1]
- All patients at Vanderbilt-Ingram work with medical teams and groups of experts in several areas of cancer medicine. These teams collaborate to streamline treatment for patients.
- The Lung Cancer team treats pleural mesothelioma patients, providing pulmonology, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy.
- The Gynecologic Oncology Team treats patients with mesothelioma. The Team offers cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC, one of the best treatments for this cancer.
- Patients at Vanderbilt-Ingram benefit from several support services, including patient navigators, assistance with lodging, financial counseling, an extended hours clinic, wellness and fitness, nutrition education, integrative medicine, and palliative care.
The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute
The NCI has not recognized UT’s Cancer Institute in Knoxville, but it is an excellent cancer treatment facility equipped to provide treatment for mesothelioma patients:[2]
- Patients work with teams of specialists who specialize in specific types of cancers. Teams include oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, and other specialists relevant to the cancer type.
- The Gastrointestinal Tumor Service provides care for peritoneal mesothelioma patients.
- Peritoneal mesothelioma patients can receive HIPEC, an innovative and effective treatment not available at all cancer centers.
- The Thoracic Oncology Service is a team that treats lung cancer, esophageal cancers, and mesothelioma. The team includes pulmonologists and cardiothoracic surgeons to provide more specific care.
- Surgeons at UT are skilled in providing complicated surgical procedures, including minimally invasive surgery and the cytoreductive surgery that precedes HIPEC treatment.
West Cancer Center & Research Institute
West Cancer Center, with primary locations in Memphis, was founded by Dr. William H. West. Today, it is a leader in cancer care in the region and provides treatment for pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma patients.
- Patients at West Cancer Center can access clinical trials.
- The lung cancer team at West treats patients with lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma.
- West Cancer Center was the first cancer center in the U.S. to offer tumor-treating fields therapy to mesothelioma patients after it became approved.
Mesothelioma Specialists in Tennessee
Finding a mesothelioma specialist is often challenging. This is a rare cancer that not many physicians or even oncologists encounter. The UT Medical Center has surgeons and oncologists who treat mesothelioma, while Vanderbilt-Ingram has a couple of specialists.
Jonathan C. Nesbitt, M.D.
Dr. Nesbitt is a professor and the Chair of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. He collaborates with colleagues as part of the Thoracic Oncology Service and specializes in treating several thoracic cancers. This includes pleural mesothelioma.[3]
Kamran Idrees, M.D.
Dr. Idrees is an associate professor of surgical oncology at Vanderbilt. He is also the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery at the Cancer Center. He directs the Peritoneal Surface Malignancy/HIPEC Program. Dr. Idrees is one of the few surgeons in the country who can perform cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC, which benefits many patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.[4]
Additional Mesothelioma Specialists in Tennessee
- Matthew T. Ballo, M.D., radiation oncologist, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis
- Eric Lambright, M.D., thoracic surgeon, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
- Christine M. Lovly, M.D., medical oncologist, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville
- Deepa Magge, M.D., surgical oncologist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
- Evan Osmundson, M.D., radiation oncologist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
- Travis Osterman, D.O., medical oncologist, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville
- Robert Ramirez, D.O., medical oncologist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
- David R. Spigel, M.D., medical oncologist, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville
- Sally York, M.D., medical oncologist, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville
Clinical Trials Recruiting Mesothelioma Patients in Tennessee
Mesothelioma patients are generally good candidates for clinical trials. These studies rely on patient participants to help determine the effectiveness of novel treatments. Because options for treatment are often so limited for these patients, clinical trials offer hope for a better outcome.
If you are interested in trying a clinical trial, talk to your doctors. The benefits could be great, but there are also risks. You must qualify for a study, and your medical team can help you determine if you meet the requirements and if a study is appropriate for you.
Several clinical trials recruiting mesothelioma patients are currently taking place at locations in Tennessee, including:
- A Safety and Efficacy Study Evaluating CTX131 in Adult Subjects With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors. In this phase I and II study, researchers are evaluating the safety and efficacy of a new drug for patients with solid tumors that have relapsed or that have not responded to other treatments.[5]
- Phase 1 Study of INBRX-109 in Subjects With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors Including Sarcomas. This is a first-in-human trial of a new immunotherapy drug. Researchers are recruiting patients with solid tumors that have spread locally or metastasized. This includes mesothelioma patients.[6]
- Study of IDE397 in Participants With Solid Tumors Harboring MTAP Deletion. Patients with advanced mesothelioma or who have not responded to other treatments may qualify for this study of a new drug.[7]
- KZR-261 in Subjects With Advanced Solid Malignancies. This study is also investigating a new medication that may help people with advanced solid tumors.[8]
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in Tennessee, you have options. Two excellent treatment centers offer care for patients with both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma as well as access to clinical trials.
