Your Guide to the Top Southern Mesothelioma Treatment Centers in the U.S.

After hearing the words, “You have mesothelioma,” your world will feel as if it suddenly stopped spinning. After your own mortality enters your thoughts, questions about your prior asbestos exposure, future mesothelioma treatment, healthcare, and prognosis creep in.

The whole mesothelioma treatment experience can become seriously overwhelming, and without an idea of where to start, the stress you’ll feel as you worry about cancer care, only adds to your horror and shock over your newfound diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer.

As such, we compiled this mesothelioma treatment guide with all the latest information on mesothelioma and finding the most appropriate courses of cancer care, including a list of the best multidisciplinary cancer treatment centers in each Southern U.S. states so you can confidently start your healthcare journey.

Just a quick disclaimer, we want you to know we are here for you, our client.  Not just as your mesothelioma cancer attorneys, but as a community resource determined to provide you with the information necessary to receive mesothelioma treatment at a comprehensive cancer center near you.

There should be no need to travel as far as Minneapolis, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, or suburban New Jersey to receive quality care for mesothelioma cancer.

What is Mesothelioma Cancer?

Mesothelioma cancer is a specific type of cancer that can only be caused by consistent exposure to toxic asbestos particles and fibers.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was once used for everything from brake pad lining to wall insulation. As a well-known carcinogen, asbestos can cause and encourage the development of mesothelioma cancer in the otherwise protective lining of the lungs, heart, abdomen, thoracic, or chest, cavity, and other bodily organs.

The small fibers of asbestos break into smaller pieces and become airborne, making it easy for them to get within this lining, called the mesothelium, and take root, leading to inflammation and irritation before causing the cellular damage that will eventually become mesothelioma cancer.

As the disease progresses, scores of cancerous tumors form within the thoracic cavity, allowing for a build-up of fluid which can strain the heart. Mesothelioma can even metastasize into lung cancers and other bodily cancers.

Many of those stricken with mesothelioma cancer have developed it via long term exposure to asbestos while employed in shipyards, factories, oil refineries, mills, and chemical, industrial, and manufacturing plants.

This potentially lethal exposure to asbestos has been known to also afflict firemen, drywall installers, and automobile and airplane mechanics, as well as service veterans that were made to wear fireproof asbestos suits between the 1930s and 1970s.

As a matter of fact, it is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of mesothelioma cancer victims were exposed to asbestos while on the job. Though the EPA has banned asbestos as a building material, the long term prior asbestos exposure that these workers endured before its prohibition had already sealed many of their fates.

Over such a long period of time, many had inhaled large quantities of trace carcinogenic asbestos fibers.

Mesothelioma Cancer Symptoms

Mesothelioma cancer comes with a multitude of symptoms, including chest pain, rapid weight loss, and shortness of breath. It can become difficult to link the onset of symptoms to the actual disease because they can develop as late as 10 to 50 years after the last asbestos exposure.

Worse yet, the signs are common to many other illnesses, such as lung cancer that is unrelated to asbestos, and not definitive. That means doctors may not diagnose mesothelioma until it has reached later stages.

Mesothelioma Cancer Diagnosis

If symptoms persist and continual past or present exposure to asbestos has been confirmed, it is best to see an oncologist that specializes in mesothelioma treatment to confirm a diagnosis. Imaging tests, such as CT scans, x-rays, and PET scans can be used to find visible signs of tumors and any buildup of fluid in the thoracic, or chest, cavity.

If the mesothelioma specialist sees anything suspicious, a blood test or biopsy will be ordered to determine if the cells located are cancerous. The mesothelioma doctor will then determine your cancer treatment plan going forward.

Finding Treatment for Mesothelioma Cancer

Once you are diagnosed, your mesothelioma specialist should coordinate with your primary care physician and begin cancer treatment. Your cancer care may include:

  • Surgery
  • Radiation Therapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Gene Therapy
  • Experimental Clinical Trials

Your oncologist will determine your care based on the type of mesothelioma you have, as well as your diagnostic stage.

Types of Mesothelioma Cancer

There are six main types of mesothelioma cancer, including:

  • Benign Mesothelioma
  • Malignant Mesothelioma
  • Testicular Mesothelioma
  • Pleural Mesothelioma (affects the lungs)
  • Peritoneal Mesothelioma (affects abdominal cavity lining)
  • Pericardial Mesothelioma (affects the heart)

Pleural mesothelioma is the most common variation and has the most cancer treatments available. Peritoneal mesothelioma is the second most common, with many cancer-care options to try, while pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest, with very few treatment options.

The Stages of Mesothelioma

The main stages of mesothelioma cancer range from one to four. The stage is indicative of the cell type, and it determines the effectiveness of each mesothelioma treatment.

Stage One

For example, stage one means that the cancer lies in the mesothelium only and has not spread to other organs at this point. This means a favorable response to cancer treatment.

Stage Two

During stage two, the mesothelioma cancer may have spread to other organs as the tumor has grown larger.

However, the prognosis for someone in this stage is not much worse than someone at stage one, and surgery is perhaps your best cancer treatment option.

Stage Three

At stage three, the tumor has spread throughout half of the body, including possibly the lymph nodes, chest wall, heart, ribs, and esophagus.

Cancer treatments may still work at this point, but it is unlikely. Mesothelioma treatment at the stage is usually just aggressive symptom management to improve one’s quality of life.

Stage Four

Conversely, at stage four, the cancer has spread throughout the whole body, possibly including the brain and bone tissues. Conventional mesothelioma treatments cannot help at this point, though mesothelioma doctors may suggest clinical trials before giving up hope.

Treatment of symptoms, however, should keep patients comfortable and relieve any pain.

Your primary doctor will discuss your initial cancer treatment plan with you and will likely suggest that you seek the services of a mesothelioma specialist that will be able to tailor your cancer treatment to your particular needs.

These providers usually are found at mesothelioma treatment centers and cancer research centers at the state’s top hospitals with proven track records. There are two major reasons for working with a comprehensive cancer center to get proper treatment.

These are diagnosis confirmation and receiving the latest treatments available.

Diagnosis Confirmation of Mesothelioma Cancer

Oncology centers like these have mesothelioma doctors that understand all the ins and outs of mesothelioma and can certainly confirm your diagnosis, as well as the type and stage that you are in.

Unfortunately, regular hospitals and more general medical centers are likely to misdiagnose mesothelioma symptoms as pneumonia, another respiratory disorder, or lung cancer.

The difference is critical, because diagnosing and treating mesothelioma cancer at its earliest stages are the best ways to ensure a positive prognosis.

Accessing the Best and Latest Mesothelioma Treatments

Once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, you have several treatment options available. In a broad sense, however, your treatment will fall into one of two basic care categories.

Those are palliative and curative cancer treatment.

Palliative Treatment

Palliative cancer treatment is conducted with a focus on the troublesome symptoms of the cancer, such as breathing difficulties and chest pain, rather than the actual tumor.

It is meant to improve any time mesothelioma patients have left once the cancer has spread too far to be successfully removed.

Curative Treatment

On the other hand, curative cancer treatment is used to remove as much of the mesothelioma cancer as possible to increase your odds of survival. Many times, several curative treatment options are pursued simultaneously to bring about positive outcomes. 

Depending on the stage and type of mesothelioma you have, there are many types of curative treatment options for your mesothelioma doctor to recommend, and many times, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary.

Surgery

There is surgery, which is the best cancer treatment for cases that are caught in the early stages before any rapid metastasizing.

Of course, in later stages, mesothelioma specialists may remove obstructive tumors to improve quality of life during a mesothelioma patient’s remaining time.

Radiation & Chemotherapy

Most cancer treatment centers also offer radiation therapy and chemotherapy as treatment options. The former aids in the removal of cancer while the latter can shrink tumors to make them easier to surgically remove them in the future.

Both cancer treatments are also used to reduce and eliminate tumors that cause discomfort and pain or restrict breathing.

Immunotherapy & Gene Therapy

In addition, there are other options for patient care, such as immunotherapy treatments that have shown promise in difficult-to-treat mesothelioma patients. 

Mesothelioma specialists also have access to many of the newer, yet successful multidisciplinary mesothelioma treatments that have risen from experimental clinical trials. One of these is called gene therapy.

These mesothelioma programs offer options that other medical centers and hospitals may not, as they are usually part of larger cancer research centers, such as the ones in San Francisco, Baltimore, Seattle, and Pittsburgh.

Experimental Clinical Trials

In addition to immunotherapy and gene therapy, there are optional clinical trials that benefit mesothelioma patients diagnosed at any stage of cancer.

New research is being conducted all the time at these research institutes and even those at more advanced stages may find hope in a novel mesothelioma treatment that may possibly improve their chances for survival and quality of life.

The Top Mesothelioma Medical Centers in the Southern U.S.

You don’t need to live in New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Michigan or San Diego to receive top notch healthcare. Here is a list of the major cancer research centers and mesothelioma treatment centers in the Southern United States.

Each comprehensive cancer center provides specialized cancer care that you could not find at just any hospital.

Keep this list in mind and discuss your treatment options with your primary care physician on your next visit with him or her so you can begin your cancer treatment plan.

Top Southern Mesothelioma Treatment Centers

Alabama:

  • UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Florida:

  • Lee Moffitt Cancer Center at the University of South Florida, Magnolia Campus, Tampa
  • Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami

Georgia:

  • Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta

Louisiana:

  • The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center at Ochsner Health System, New Orleans

Mississippi:

  • The Cancer Center at Magnolia

Missouri:

  • Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University in Louis School of Medicine

North Carolina:

  • Duke Cancer Center, Durham

Tennessee:

  • Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis
  • Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University, Nashville

South Carolina:

  • MUSC Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston

Texas:

  • Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
  • Mays Cancer Center/ D. Anderson Cancer Center at UT Health & Health Sciences Ctr, San Antonio, Texas
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, Houston
  • Texas Oncology Presbyterian Center, Dallas

Extensive List of Mesothelioma Resource Website

For an extensive list of all the mesothelioma treatment centers, mesothelioma doctors, available clinical trials, and cancer treatment centers throughout the U.S., please visit the websites of the following cancer hospitals for more information:

  • Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, in Los Angeles
  • University of California, in the southern California city of La Jolla
  • Johns Hopkins
  • Arizona Cancer Center
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Durham Cancer Center of Omaha
  • Northwestern University
  • National Cancer Institute

We Can Help with Your Legal Needs After a Mesothelioma Cancer Diagnosis

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer after long-term asbestos exposure on the job, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain, suffering, and loss.

We are asbestos and mesothelioma cancer attorneys in Louisiana and we’re here to handle your case so you can focus on getting the mesothelioma treatment you need and increasing your quality of life.

Reach out to us 504-299-1214 at or contact us to discuss your legal needs in a free consultation.