A mesothelioma diagnosis is a life-changing event that can bring on many different emotions. Worrying about choosing the right doctor might be another stress. Choosing the best mesothelioma medical team for your treatment is instrumental in ensuring you get the best care. Treatment for mesothelioma is complex because there are doctors who specialize in treating pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma. Some treatments may require more than one specialist, such as oncologists, surgeons, and radiologists.

Finding the Right Mesothelioma Treatment Team

It is important to find a treatment team that makes you feel comfortable and that you can trust. Below are some issues to consider when making your decision about the right doctor:

  • Is the doctor experienced in treating mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that requires a specific area of expertise.
  • Is the doctor involved in clinical trials of new treatments?
  • Is the doctor able to practice at a hospital with comprehensive mesothelioma services?
  • Is the doctor associated with any medical schools? Doctors teaching at medical schools are typically leaders or experts in their field.
  • Is the doctor in-network for your insurance?

These are just a few key issues you should consider while choosing a doctor, but you also need to consider how the doctor makes you feel. Are you comfortable speaking with him/her? Did you feel they listened to you and your concerns? Having a good relationship with your doctor is important since many people will require long-term treatment for their illness.

Below is a list of the top doctors and institutions from all over the nation who treat asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma.

Doctors of Asbestos Diseases, including Mesothelioma

David S. Ettinger, MD
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Douglas E. Wood, MD
UW Medical Center’s Thoracic Surgery Clinic

Wallace Akerley, MD
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Lyudmila A. Bazhenova, MD
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center

Hossein Borghaei, DO, MS
Fox Chase Cancer Center

David Ross Camidge, MD, PhD
University of Colorado Cancer Center

Richard T. Cheney, MD
Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Lucian R. Chirieac, MD
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center

Thomas A. D’Amico, MD
Duke Cancer Institute

Thomas Dilling, MD, MS
Moffitt Cancer Center

Michael Dobelbower, MD, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center

Ramaswamy Govindan, MD
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine

Mark Hennon, MD
Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Leora Horn, MD, MSc
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Thierry M. Jahan, MD
UCSF Helen Diller Family  Comprehensive Cancer Center

Ritsuko Komaki, MD
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Rudy P. Lackner, MD
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center UNMC Nebraska Medicine

Michael Lanuti, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center

Rogerio Lilenbaum, MD
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

Jules Lin, MD
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Billy W. Loo, Jr., MD, PhD
Stanford Cancer Institute

Renato Martins, MD, MPH
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Gregory A. Otterson, MD
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute

Jyoti D. Patel, MD
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University

Katherine M. Pisters, MD
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Karen Reckamp, MD, MS
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

Gregory J. Riely, MD, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Steven E. Schild, MD
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

Theresa A. Shapiro, MD, PhD
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Scott J. Swanson, MD
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center

James Stevenson, MD
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer  Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute

Kurt Tauer, MD
West Cancer Center & Research Institute

Stephen C. Yang, MD
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Institutions of Asbestos Diseases, including Mesothelioma

Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
Omaha, Nebraska
800.999.5465
nebraskamed.com/cancer

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
Cleveland, Ohio
800.641.2422 – UH Seidman Cancer Center
uhhospitals.org/seidman
866.223.8100 – CC Taussig Cancer Institute
my.clevelandclinic.org/services/cancer
216.844.8797 – Case CCC
case.edu/cancer

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Los Angeles, California
800.826.4673
cityofhope.org

Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Boston, Massachusetts
877.332.4294
dfbwcc.org
massgeneral.org/cancer

Duke Cancer Institute
Durham, North Carolina
888.275.3853
dukecancerinstitute.org

Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
888.369.2427
foxchase.org

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
877.585.0303
huntsmancancer.org

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Seattle, Washington
206.288.7222 seattlecca.org
206.667.5000 fredhutch.org

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Baltimore, Maryland
410.955.8964
hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org

Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
866.587.4322
cancer.northwestern.edu

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona
Jacksonville, Florida
Rochester, Minnesota
800.466.2279 Arizona
904.953.0853 Florida
507.538.3270 Minnesota
mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/mayo-clinic-cancer-center

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York
800.525.2255
mskcc.org

Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, Florida
800.456.3434
moffitt.org

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center- James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Columbus, Ohio
800.293.5066
cancer.osu.edu

Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Buffalo, New York
877.275.7724
roswellpark.org

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, Missouri
800.600.3606
siteman.wustl.edu

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee
888.226.4343 stjude.org
901.683.0055 westclinic.com

Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford, California
877.668.7535
cancer.stanford.edu

University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
Birmingham, Alabama
800.822.0933
www3.ccc.uab.edu

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
La Jolla, California
858.657.7000
cancer.ucsd.edu

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
San Francisco, California
800.689.8273
cancer.ucsf.edu

University of Colorado Cancer Center
Aurora, Colorado
720.848.0300
coloradocancercenter.org

University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ann Arbor, Michigan
800.865.1125
mcancer.org

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
800.392.1611
mdanderson.org

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Nashville, Tennessee
800.811.8480
vicc.org

University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
Madison, Wisconsin
608.265.1700
uwhealth.org/cancer

Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital
New Haven, Connecticut
855.4.SMILOW
yalecancercenter.org