Brigham and Women's Hospital
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Abraham Avi LebenthalPleural Mesothelioma -
David Sugarbaker, M.D.Thoracic Surgery -
Raphael Bueno, M.D.Pleural Mesothelioma -
Lambros Zellos, M.D.Thoracic Surgery -
Scott J. Swanson M.D.Thoracic Surgery
About Brigham and Womens Hospital
Boston offers first-class medical care in the form of Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). As a partner with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a component in the greater Harvard Medical School family, BWH offers the promise of unrivaled diagnosis and treatment of cancer, with a major emphasis on that of mesothelioma and related pleural conditions.
This hospital is home to the prestigious International Mesothelioma Program (IMP), which places a special emphasis on effective, cutting-edge treatments of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) to significantly extend patients' lives. This department treats 180 patients and offers 310 consultations annually, making it the world's largest program of its kind. The IMP has prospered under the leadership of its founder, BWH Chief of Thoracic Surgery David Sugarbaker, M.D., a pioneer in the treatment of mesothelioma and lung and pleural cancers.
Other key members of this program are Raphael Bueno, M.D., assistant chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, with specialties in lung and esophageal cancers, mesothelioma and minimally invasive surgery; Abraham Avi Lebenthal M.D., a thoracic surgeon specializing in mesothelioma, diseases of the gastro-esophageal junction, esophageal cancer and lung cancer; and Lambros Zellos, M.D., clinical co-director of the International Mesothelioma Program, and an authority in thoracic cancer treatments.
This team embraces a non-invasive, multi-modal approach, offering multiple treatment options and combinations for mesothelioma and other conditions, with specialists from all of the hospital's affiliates contributing. The IMP has made great inroads into the biology and target discovery of mesothelioma, including growth control, over-expressed genes, and the expression of specific antigens. However, they also stress the need for MPM diagnosis, pathology, and improvements in treatment, outcome, and patterns of recurrence.
The IMP is also a center for mesothelioma research, with scientists representing basic, translational, and clinical approaches all collaborating to not only understand mesothelioma's causes, but to utilize their findings to improve potential therapies. Since 1993, these research collaborations have resulted in a wide array of individual and joint publications.
BWH has long been hailed as a leading medical destination, as evidenced by its continuous ranking – for 18 straight years – in US News and World Report's "Honor Roll of America's best hospitals." The institution is a top recipient of National Institutes of Health research grants, and is internationally renowned for its clinical, translational, bench, and population-based research studies. Among these are such groundbreaking studies as: the Physicians Health Studies, the Women's Health Initiative, and the landmark Nurses' Health Study.
Founded in 1832 as the nation's first all-maternity hospital, the current BWH organization is the result of the 1980 merger of three prestigious Harvard teaching hospitals. While Dana-Faber handles outpatient care, BWH is responsible for inpatient care for cancer and other conditions. Every year, this 793-bed facility, with locations throughout the Boston metropolitan area, admits an estimated 46,000 inpatient admissions. In addition, more than 15,000 people - including 3,000 physicians, fellows and residents, more than 1,000 researchers, and 2,800 nurses - are employed by the hospital.
The Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) is a leader in the field of cancer care and consistently ranks among the top four cancer hospitals in America, according to U.S. News and World Report. Dana Farber and Brigham and Women's are located in two separate buildings. Among its achievements, BWH was the site of the world’s first successful human organ transplant, a kidney transplant, in 1954. And in 2000, BWH doctors performed the world's first quadruple transplant; four organs - a kidney, two lungs and a heart – were harvested from a single donor, and then transplanted into four patients.
