The Online Asbestos, Asbestos Cancer, & Mesothelioma Authority
Asbestos Cancer, Lung Cancer, and Mesothelioma Cancer Centers
Due largely to the pioneering work of Dr. Irving Selikoff in the U.S. and Dr. Richard Doll in the U.K., the medical profession is coming to view asbestos disease as a field of its own. Although there are relatively few clinics that address asbestos diseases to the exclusion of all others, many hospitals, medical centers and cancer research facilities offer excellent services and cutting-edge treatment for those who suffer from mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and non-malignant asbestos disease such as asbestosis and pleural plaques.
Although relatively rare, mesothelioma is such a deadly and debilitating form of cancer that a great many resources have been devoted to its study. Because so much of this is research into the unknown (mesothelioma was not recognized as a disease distinct from lung cancer until 1960), some of the top mesothelioma treatment centers are associated with universities and medical schools.
The Thoracic Oncology Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center is among those at the forefront of cancer research pertaining to mesothelioma and other asbestos illnesses. Because of the nature of mesothelioma, effective treatment typically requires a team of physicians working in different specialties, including oncology, respiratory medicine, thoracic surgery, and more. The U.M. Medical Center offers patients access to all of these specialists in one location, optimizing communication and coordination and resulting in one of the most effective programs in the nation.
Most of the medical institutions that specialize in asbestos disease treatment are actually cancer centers, or closely affiliated with one. A notable cancer program is run in part by Dr. Michael Harbut of Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Harbut is a co-director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. This particular organization was the recipient of a $2 million research grant from federal government, and is currently being used to facilitate a study of the relationship between asbestos-related cancers to houses which contain insulation made from asbestos-contaminated vermiculite.
Because asbestos cancers and other asbestos illnesses are most often the result of exposure on the job, much of the research into the direct causes and treatment of such diseases is conducted at centers which are dedicated to occupational medicine. One such place is the Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, located at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. This clinic was named for one of the pioneers in the diagnosis and treatment of asbestos-related disease, and has been “Ground Zero” for treating those whose respiratory health was adversely affected as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Center in September of 2001.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is another well-known institution, the roots of which go back over a century, when it was known as the New York Cancer Hospital.
Make no mistake – asbestos cancer is deadly and cn be incurable, and anyone who is afflicted needs the best treatments available. In this section of our website, you will learn all about the top asbestos-disease treatment centers in the nation, where they are located, who is working there, and what they are accomplishing.