The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center is a leading destination for the care and treatment of lung cancer and mesothelioma. This institution was established in 1965 as part of an intramural program formed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), with the goals of developing basic and clinical research for cancer treatment and providing training for medical and basic scientists.

Located on the University of Maryland's medical campus, Greenebaum Cancer Center is a component of the Medical Center and the School of Medicine. Therefore, all Greenebaum researchers and physicians are on its faculty. In its history, the cancer center has reaped many prestigious honors, including the NCI's designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, meaning it maintains the highest standards of excellence in patient care, clinical research, cancer prevention, education and basic science.

U.S. News & World Report listed the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center as one of "America's Best Hospitals." Every year 45,000 patients visit the center, many drawn to the hospital's Roslyn and Leonard Stoler Pavilion, a state-of-the-art outpatient center.

Thoracic Oncology Program

This institution's 200 cancer specialists utilize a multidisciplinary approach, with representation of many cancer specialties including mesothelioma and lung cancer. For this reason, Greenebaum established the Thoracic Oncology Program, a team of physicians, surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, pulmonologists, nurses and social workers skilled and experienced in the treatment of these cancers.

Among the program's specialists are Richard J. Battafarano, M.D., chief of the division of Thoracic Surgery and an expert in mesothelioma and lung and esophageal cancers; and Richard Alexander, M.D., associate chairman for Clinical Research and an authority on potential mesothelioma therapies.

Treatment Options

The program's members regularly meet to evaluate patient profiles and review and discuss new and existing therapies. When it comes to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, this team is able to utilize this multidisciplinary approach to enable patients to consult with multiple specialties in one setting. This includes radiologic evaluation to diagnose tumor stages and design therapies. Treatment options, which may depend on specific diagnoses and disease severity, include:

Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy
Surgery - Greenebaum specialists utilize minimally invasive therapies, if possible, including cryosurgery and robot-assisted procedures
Tri-modality Therapy - it may be necessary to provide multidisciplinary options, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or combinations of these.

Find other doctors who specialize in mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases by using the Doctor Match Program.

Research Program

Not surprisingly, this hospital's lung cancer research program is among the nation's best. The Thoracic Oncology Program's investigators and physicians regularly participate in all aspects of protocol development, design and implementation, including translational research, which quickly and directly transfers laboratory findings to patients. Overall, these physicians and investigators participate in about 150 clinical cancer trials at any given time, resulting in $62 million in research funding.

Among the achievements for lung cancer and associated thoracic diseases are the development of advanced anti-cancer drugs; safer, more accurate intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT); and gene therapy programs.

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