Mesothelioma Treatment Centers

Why Treatment Center Selection Affects Outcomes

A 2022 study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery examined nearly 2,700 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma and found a five-year survival rate of 29.7% at academic centers versus 18.3% at community hospitals. The gap traced directly to treatment approach: academic centers performed cytoreductive surgery more than twice as often and administered same-day chemotherapy nearly three times as frequently.

What drives that difference is not just surgical skill in isolation. Mesothelioma requires coordinated decision-making across multiple specialties before a patient ever enters an operating room. At low-volume centers, that coordination is improvised. At specialized centers, it is the standard workflow. Tumor boards, established treatment protocols, and teams that have navigated these cases before reduce the margin for error at every stage, from initial staging to surgical planning to post-operative management.

What Makes a Mesothelioma Treatment Center Different

Not every cancer center is equipped to treat mesothelioma. The disease is rare enough that many oncology programs have not developed the surgical expertise, care coordination, or research infrastructure it requires.

Multidisciplinary Care Teams

Specialized centers bring together thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, and pathologists — who routinely evaluate each mesothelioma case before
treatment begins. That coordination is built into the workflow, not arranged on an ad hoc basis.

Access to Clinical Trials

New mesothelioma treatments reach patients through clinical trials, which are concentrated at high-volume academic institutions. For a disease with limited approved options, trial access can meaningfully expand what is available to a patient beyond the current standard of care.

Accreditation and Designations

Two designations signal that a center meets an independently verified standard of excellence. NCI-Designated Cancer Centers are recognized by the National Cancer Institute for meeting rigorous criteria across research, clinical care, and cancer prevention. The Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, the NCI’s highest ranking, requires demonstrated depth across basic science, clinical research, and community outreach, and is re-evaluated every five years.

NCCN Member Institutions form a network of 34 leading cancer centers whose clinicians develop and continuously update the clinical practice guidelines that define the standard of care in oncology. When evaluating a treatment center, NCI designation and NCCN membership are the most reliable publicly verifiable indicators of institutional quality.

Surgical Case Volume

The procedures used to treat mesothelioma, including pleurectomy/decortication, extrapleural pneumonectomy, and cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC, are among the most technically demanding in oncology. Surgeons and centers that perform them regularly develop a precision that low-volume settings cannot replicate.

The Specialists on Your Care Team

Mesothelioma care is delivered by a team, not a single physician. The specialists involved depend on your diagnosis, disease stage, and treatment plan. At a specialized center, these roles work in coordination rather than in sequence.

Specialist	Role in Mesothelioma Care
Thoracic Surgeon	Performs surgery for pleural mesothelioma, including pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). Evaluates surgical candidacy and leads operative planning.
Surgical Oncologist	Performs surgery for peritoneal mesothelioma, including cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with HIPEC. At some centers, one surgeon covers both pleural and peritoneal cases.
Medical Oncologist	Oversees systemic treatment, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Typically, they are the primary coordinating physician throughout the course of care.
Radiation Oncologist	Delivers targeted radiation therapy, most commonly used as part of a multimodal approach in pleural mesothelioma following surgery.
Pulmonologist	Evaluates and manages lung function, particularly relevant for pleural mesothelioma patients and those being assessed for surgical candidacy.
Pathologist	Confirms diagnosis and identifies cell type, which directly informs treatment planning. Not a treating physician, but among the most consequential specialists involved in a mesothelioma case.
Palliative Care Specialist	Manages symptoms, pain, and quality of life throughout treatment, not only at the end of life. Involvement from early in care is associated with better patient outcomes and is standard at specialized centers.
Patient Navigator	Coordinates care across specialists, appointments, and facilities. At specialized centers, navigators with mesothelioma-specific experience help patients move through complex treatment pathways without losing continuity.

Top Mesothelioma Treatment Centers

The centers listed here hold NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, NCCN Member Institution status, or both, and have documented mesothelioma programs or established mesothelioma surgical expertise. No center has paid for inclusion. This list is not exhaustive.

Centers for Pleural Mesothelioma

Center Name	Location	Notable For
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	Boston, MA	Home of the International Mesothelioma Program, one of the largest dedicated mesothelioma programs in the world, treating more than 300 patients annually
MD Anderson Cancer Center	Houston, TX	Dedicated thoracic center with multimodal pleural mesothelioma expertise, including EPP and P/D
Moffitt Cancer Center	Tampa, FL	One of two NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers in Florida with a dedicated mesothelioma surgical program
Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center	New York, NY	Home of the New York Mesothelioma Program with dedicated thoracic surgery and clinical trial access
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center	Los Angeles, CA	Dedicated thoracic oncology program with pleural mesothelioma surgical expertise
UChicago Medical Comprehensive Cancer Center	Chicago, IL	Home of one of the largest mesothelioma programs in the Midwest, with dedicated expertise in both pleural and peritoneal disease

Centers for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Center	Location	Notable For
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center	Pittsburgh, PA	Mesothelioma Specialty Care program with peritoneal mesothelioma surgical expertise, including CRS-HIPEC
MD Anderson Cancer Center	Houston, TX	High-volume peritoneal disease program with CRS-HIPEC and clinical trial access
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	Boston, MA	International Mesothelioma Program treating both pleural and peritoneal disease
UChicago Medical Comprehensive Cancer Center	Chicago, IL	Dedicated peritoneal mesothelioma program led by nationally recognized gastrointestinal oncology specialists
Moffitt Cancer Center	Tampa, FL	Treats all mesothelioma types, including peritoneal, with integrated surgical and medical oncology teams

VA Medical Centers for Veterans

VA Medical Center	Location	Mesothelioma Affiliation
VA Boston Healthcare System	Boston, MA	Partner institution in the International Mesothelioma Program with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard School of Public Health
VA West Los Angeles Medical Center	Los Angeles, CA	Affiliated with the UCLA Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center	Houston, TX	Affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and the Lung Institute at Baylor, the center’s major affiliate since 1949

Contact Asbestos Guide

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you likely have many questions and concerns. You may also feel overwhelmed, especially if your cancer is in a later stage.

How to Choose the Right Center for You

Choosing a mesothelioma treatment center involves more than identifying which institutions have the strongest reputations. The right center for one patient may not be the right center for another. These are the factors that matter most.

Questions to Ask Before You Commit

How many mesothelioma cases does this center treat each year?
How many procedures of the type recommended for my case has my surgeon performed?
Does the center have active clinical trials for my diagnosis and stage?
Will my case be reviewed by a multidisciplinary tumor board before treatment begins?
What palliative care and support services are available throughout treatment?

When Traveling for Treatment Is Worth It

Distance is a legitimate concern, particularly for patients managing other health conditions or limited mobility. But for a disease as rare and surgically complex as mesothelioma, traveling to a high-volume center is often the single most impactful decision a patient can make.

Many specialized centers have patient navigation staff, housing programs, and telehealth follow-up options specifically designed to reduce the burden of travel.

Getting a Second Opinion

A second opinion from a mesothelioma specialist is standard practice, not a reflection of distrust in your current physician. Mesothelioma is rare enough that even experienced oncologists may not be up to date on the latest surgical approaches, immunotherapy combinations, or trial options.

Most specialized centers offer second opinion consultations, and many can review your existing pathology and imaging remotely before you travel.

How an Asbestos Guide Can Help

Finding the right mesothelioma treatment center is one of the most important steps after a diagnosis, and it is rarely straightforward. A specialized center may be far from home, your current physician may not have a referral relationship with a high-volume program, or you may be weighing a second opinion without knowing where to start.

Depending on your location and diagnosis, an Asbestos Guide may be able to share a limited list of specialist centers, at no cost and with no obligation.