Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center a World Leader

The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University combines world-class clinical care with a wide range of groundbreaking research that continues to advance treatment for all.

It’s why the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center has elite status on an international stage, pioneering initiatives and setting a pace that other cancer centers can follow.

The National Cancer Institute designated Lurie a Comprehensive Cancer Center — one of just 51 in the country — for its ability to blend cutting-edge treatment with scientific leadership.

Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center has used its institutional and philanthropic partners to help create a synergistic approach to fighting cancer with meaningful impact on patient outcomes.

Lurie Cancer Center’s Multidisciplinary Mesothelioma Treatment

The Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center handles mesothelioma with a multidisciplinary approach that involves surgeons, medical oncologists and radiologists, all with experience treating the rare cancer.

Medical oncologist and hematologist Dr. Nisha Mohindra specializes in thoracic cancers, including pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer. She works closely with Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery, on lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma patients.

Surgical oncologist Dr. Ryan Merkow, who handles complex gastrointestinal cancers and peritoneal surface cancers, treats patients with abdominal mesothelioma.

Merkow is the staff specialist in using hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, otherwise known as HIPEC, which has greatly advanced the treatment of peritoneal diseases when combined with cytoreductive surgery.

Post-Treatment Support at Lurie Cancer Center

During and after treatment, patient support at every level is a priority at the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is known for its personalized care of patients.

The Supportive Oncology Team consists of psychologists, dietitians and social workers, all making sure patients’ physical and emotional needs are met.

There are support groups available for every cancer, including rare malignancies such as mesothelioma. Lurie has resources that cover integrative medicine, palliative care and symptom management.

Patients also have access to many clinical trials, where novel therapies and groundbreaking treatments are uncovered.

Mesothelioma Clinical Trials at Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

• A phase II clinical trial studying the use of the novel anetumab ravtansine in combination with pembrolizumab, in contrast to pembrolizumab alone, for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.
• A phase II clinical trial studying the immunotherapy combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, also known as Opdivo and Yervoy, respectively, in the treatment of unresectable mesothelioma. The combination was recently approved by the FDA.
• A phase II clinical trial studying the use of adjuvant hemithoracic intensity-modulated radiation therapy when used in combination with pleurectomy and decortication surgery and chemotherapy for mesothelioma patients.