Top Mesothelioma Doctors

Resources for mesothelioma patients, their families and caregivers

Mesothelioma cancer strikes over 2,000 Americans each year, creating a dire need for top mesothelioma doctors and other healthcare professionals who specialize in asbestos disease. Oncologists in this area are uniquely knowledgeable about cancerous tumors that develop due to asbestos exposure.

Top mesothelioma doctors: Medical, Thoracic and Radiation oncologists

When a patient experiences health problems that may be related to exposure to asbestos, their physician will perform preliminary tests, including chest x-rays and a biopsy of lung tissue. In order to make a diagnosis of mesothelioma and treat this very rare cancer, the patient will be treated by a number of specialists, including medical, thoracic, and radiation oncologists.

A medical oncologist, often the first type of doctor a mesothelioma patient will see, specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy. A medical oncologist is typically the main healthcare provider for someone who has mesothelioma. A medical oncologist also gives supportive care and may coordinate treatment given by other specialists.

People diagnosed with mesothelioma also see a thoracic oncologist. These doctors focus on cancers relating to or located near the thorax (chest). Thoracic oncologists treat patients diagnosed with lung cancer, chest wall cancers such as mesothelioma and cancers that involve the esophagus. The majority of the top mesothelioma doctors are thoracic oncologists and surgeons.

Mesothelioma patients are also treated by radiation oncologists (physicians who specializes in treating cancer through radiation therapies and methods). Top radiation oncologists investigate the use of x-rays, electrons and gamma rays to destroy cancer. Radiation therapy is used on most types of cancers, including asbestos lung cancer.

Top mesothelioma doctors that practice in the U.S.

Below is a list of physicians that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. These doctors are associated with nationally-known and recognized medical schools that are at the forefront for research, new treatment methods and federally-funded and approved mesothelioma clinical trials.

For more information about these top mesothelioma doctors and their practices, please click on the links below.

Dr. H. Richard Alexander, Jr. - cancer surgeon and surgical oncologist at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
Dr. Veena B. Antony - cancer surgeon who practices at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Gainesville, Florida
Dr. Robert Cameron- surgical oncologist who treats mesothelioma patients at the UCLA Medical School
Dr. David Jablons - Section Chief, General Thoracic Surgery, Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of California
Dr. Larry Kaiser - cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Lung Cancer & Related Disorders
Dr. Brian Loggie - Professor of Surgery and Director for the Cancer Center at Creighton University Medical Center
Dr. Harvey Pass - professor, a surgeon, and Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology at the New York University School of Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Lary A. Robinson - thoracic surgical oncologist with expertise in treating mesothelioma patients
Dr. Valerie Rusch - mesothelioma surgeon who practices at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She specializes in treating patients with cancers of the lung, esophagus, mediastinum, and chest wall, and those with mesothelioma
Dr. W. Roy Smythe - practices in Temple, Texas and is involved in the surgical diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma patients
Dr. David Sugarbaker - surgical oncologist based in Boston, Massachusetts. He has expertise in treating mesothelioma patients. Dr. Sugarbaker has pioneered the "tri-modal" therapy approach.
Dr. Paul Sugarbaker - specializes in the surgical treatment of cancers that arise in the gastrointestinal tract, such as abdominal (peritoneal).
Dr. Robert Taub - medical oncologist who directs the Connective Tissue Oncology Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, where there are a number of ongoing multimodality studies of patients with pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma.
Dr. Eric Vallieres - principal investigator of a Phase II multi-modal trial for mesothelioma patients at the University of Washington Medical Center, where he was an associate professor of surgery and was on the active medical staff. He now practices at the Swedish Cancer Institute.
Dr. Claire Verschraegen - oncologist and Director of Experimental Therapeutics at the University of New Mexico. Her research has focused on the use of a novel platinum drug to treat peritoneal mesothelioma.
Dr. Nicholas Vogelzang- thoracic surgical oncologist with interests in clinical trials in genitourinary malignancies and mesothelioma.

How Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
For over 25 years, Weitz & Luxenberg’s mesothelioma lawyers have been fighting for the rights of those with mesothelioma and lung cancer from asbestos. Please complete the form on this page to request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook, which includes information about mesothelioma, doctors who treat it, and legal options. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.