Tennessee Mesothelioma Treatment and Doctors
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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, this cancer center 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, groups of experts in several areas of cancer medicine. They work together 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 work with 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.
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 few surgeons in the country who can perform cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC that benefits many patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.[4]
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:
- Phase 1/2 Trial of Gavo-cel (TC-210) in Patients With Advanced Mesothelin-Expressing Cancer. Mesothelioma patients with the mesothelin biomarker may qualify for this innovative immunotherapy study. It involves removing immune system T-cells, engineering them to target cancer cells, and reinjecting them into the patient.[5]
- DuRvalumab With chEmotherapy as First Line treAtment in Advanced Pleural Mesothelioma (DREAM3R). If you have advanced pleural mesothelioma, you may be able to participate in this study, testing the safety and effectiveness of a new immunotherapy drug along with chemotherapy.[6]
- Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Treating Patients With Rare Tumors. This large study needs patients with rare cancers to test a combination of immunotherapy drugs. The researchers are looking for peritoneal mesothelioma patients.[7]
- 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.[8]
- KZR-261 in Subjects With Advanced Solid Malignancies. This study is also investigating a new medication that may help people with advanced solid tumors.[9]
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.
Page Edited by Patient Advocate Dave Foster
Dave has been a mesothelioma Patient Advocate for over 10 years. He consistently attends all major national and international mesothelioma meetings. In doing so, he is able to stay on top of the latest treatments, clinical trials, and research results. He also personally meets with mesothelioma patients and their families and connects them with the best medical specialists and legal representatives available.