Dr. Jacques Fontaine
Thoracic Surgeon & Contributing WriterThoracic surgeon Dr. Jacques Fontaine is the director of the Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. He performs aggressive and minimally invasive procedures for pleural mesothelioma patients.
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Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa, Florida (FL)
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Expertise:Pleural Mesothelioma
Lung Cancer
Thoracic Diseases
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Pleurectomy and Decortication Surgery -
Speciality:Thoracic Surgery -
Gender:Male -
Language:English, Spanish, French, Arabic -
Primary Location:Moffitt Cancer Center
About Dr. Jacques Fontaine
Surgical oncologist Dr. Jacques Fontaine has taken the leadership role of the Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center at Moffitt Cancer Center, which offers patients the latest, most up-to-date multidisciplinary approach to therapy.
Fontaine meets weekly with a team of oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and nurses who specialize in this rare cancer to review each case and personalize mesothelioma treatment.
Fontaine is a big believer in the collaborative approach, a strength of the esteemed Moffitt Cancer Center.
“It’s a team approach,” Dr. Fontaine said. “You don’t treat it with just chemotherapy, or radiation, or surgery. You need all three under one roof.”
His interest in pleural mesothelioma began during his training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he worked with renowned thoracic surgeon Dr. David Sugarbaker.
Fontaine joined Moffitt in 2011 after serving at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was charged with developing a thoracic surgery program at the teaching hospital. He began his thoracic surgery practice at the University of Montreal.
Through the years, he has developed an expertise in minimally invasive surgery, which includes robotics, along with the more aggressive, tumor-removing surgeries for mesothelioma.
His interests also include thymoma, esophageal cancer and lung cancer. Fontaine published a study in 2022 highlighting the importance of integrating histologic grade into staging for esophageal cancer patients.
He believes strongly in the importance of getting mesothelioma patients to the specialty centers that can provide them with the latest and greatest care.
“With this disease, finding a specialist is critical,” he says. “You need someone who really understands it and knows how to treat it aggressively to get the best possible outcome.”
Dr. Fontaine’s Role as Medical Reviewer on Asbestos.com
Fontaine’s decades-long experience in the operating room, research work in clinical trials and board certifications in thoracic and general surgery make him an ideal medical reviewer for The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, the nation’s most trusted mesothelioma resource.
He ensures the topics and content on many of the informational pages on Asbestos.com meet medical and scientific standards when it comes to diagnosis and treatment of the asbestos-related diseases.
Specialties of Dr. Jacques Fontaine
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Pleurectomy and decortication surgery
- Extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery
- General surgery
- Thoracic surgery
Experience and Medical Education
- Moffitt Cancer Center (Mesothelioma Program Director)
- University of South Florida (Professor of Surgery)
- Brown University Medical School
- University of Montreal
- Burin Peninsula Healthcare Center
- Harvard Medical School
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Fellowship)
- University of Montreal (Residency)
- Boston University (Residency)
- University of Massachusetts (Residency)
- McGill University Medical School (Graduate)
Awards and Recognition
- Tampa Magazine’s Top Doctors, Thoracic Disease, 2018 and 2019
- Robotic Surgery Fellowship Program, Moffitt Cancer Center
- Patients’ Choice Award, 2017
- On Time Doctor Award, 2017
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Under Dr. Jacques Fontaine
- Phase II study of intensity modulated radiation therapy when combined with pleurectomy and decortication surgery and chemotherapy for patients with resectable pleural mesothelioma. The purpose is to test the safety and implantation of the combination.
- Phase II study of transarterial chemoperfusion for patients with unresectable pleural mesothelioma. The goal is to determine the safety and effectiveness of this novel technique that involves cisplatin, methotrexate and gemcitabine targeting specific blood vessels.
Publications of Dr. Jacques Fontaine
- Pimiento, J. & Fontaine, J. (2019, May 11). Minimally invasive transthoracic esophagectomy: pushing the boundaries to improve surgical outcomes. Journal of Thoracic Disease.
- Liu, J. Nahrwold, D. Serdiuk, A. Koontz, D. & Fontaine, J. (2019). Intraoperative Goal-Directed Anesthetic Management of the Patient with Severe Pulmonary Hypertension. American Journal of Case Reports.
- Veronesi, G. Park, B. Cerfolio, R. Dylewski, M. Toker, A. & Fontaine, J. (2018, November). Robotic resection of Stage III lung cancer; an international retrospective study. European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
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