Oncologists are doctors who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The three main fields of oncology care are medical, surgical and radiation oncology. Mesothelioma patients typically deal with oncologists in all three major areas of oncology.
Dr. Anne Tsao is the director of the Mesothelioma Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She specializes in medical oncology for mesothelioma and serves as a team leader for a multidisciplinary team of mesothelioma experts.
Dr. Hedy Lee Kindler is the director of the Mesothelioma Program at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She became a leading mesothelioma researcher and oncologist after losing her father to mesothelioma. Kindler is board certified in medical oncology and internal medicine, and she specializes in gastrointestinal oncology.
Dr. W. Charles Conway is an expert in peritoneal mesothelioma and the Director of Surgical Oncology at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara, California. He specializes in minimally invasive robotic surgery and heated chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma.
Dr. Jacques Fontaine is the Director of the Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. He specializes in minimally invasive thoracic surgery including robotic surgery. Fontaine became a pleural mesothelioma specialist while studying under Dr. Sugarbaker at the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Mecker Moller is a peritoneal mesothelioma specialist and a surgical oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida. She specializes in the most effective procedure for peritoneal mesothelioma, which involves cytoreductive surgery and heated chemotherapy.
Dr. Baumgartner is a peritoneal mesothelioma specialist and one of America’s most innovative young surgeons. He is an expert in the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Baumgartner came to Moores Cancer Center from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
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Types of Mesothelioma Oncologists
Oncologists who treat mesothelioma can help people with this rare cancer live longer. If surgery is an option, they will connect patients to a specialized surgeon who knows how to safely remove the tumor.
Specialized oncologists are also familiar with ongoing mesothelioma clinical trials and emerging treatments. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology described new treatment strategies. It covered radiology, surgery, radiation and medical oncology with cellular therapies.
The type of oncologist you will work with depends on the type of mesothelioma you have.
Pleural mesothelioma patients see thoracic oncologists. Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma should see oncologists with experience treating abdominal cancers.
Thoracic Oncologists
Thoracic oncologists specialize in treating cancers of the thorax (the chest cavity).
Thoracic oncology programs treat lung cancer, thymoma, tracheal cancer and other thoracic malignancies.
Because pleural mesothelioma is rare, few thoracic oncologists know how to treat it.
Mesothelioma patients should seek treatment at a mesothelioma specialty center. This will ensure care from a team with experience treating asbestos-related cancers.
Oncologists for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Peritoneal patients should get treatment from a doctor with experience in this cancer.
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients often live significantly longer than pleural mesothelioma patients. Surgery plays a major role in long-term survival.
The most successful treatment is a combination of surgery and heated chemotherapy. Surgical oncologists who treat peritoneal mesothelioma are best equipped to perform this procedure.
How do Oncologists Help Plan Treatment Strategies?
Oncologists are an essential part of a multidisciplinary team of cancer doctors. They are the doctors who deliver a cancer diagnosis and recommend treatment options. They help coordinate care across multiple disciplines.
Types and Roles of Oncologists
Medical Oncologist: This is the most common area of oncology. They specialize in the treatment of solid tumors, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. They often treat cancer with chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Medical oncologists can also refer patients to a surgical oncologist for tumor-removing procedures.
Surgical Oncologist: These are general surgeons who have additional training in the removal of tumors. Surgical oncologists typically specialize within their particular discipline.
Radiation Oncologist: These physicians specialize in treating cancers with radiation therapy.
A person diagnosed with mesothelioma will work with an oncologist or a team of oncologists during their cancer treatment. Oncologists manage the patient’s care throughout the course of the disease.
Oncologists work closely with other health care professionals. They include pathologists, diagnostic radiologists, oncology nurses and oncology social workers.
Role of Oncologists for Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma doctors and specialists are medical experts who treat asbestos-related cancers. They usually specialize in performing surgery or giving medicine to treat the condition.
The majority of mesothelioma patients do not qualify for surgery. Because of this, they may never meet or be evaluated by a surgical oncologist.
Instead, a medical oncologist will tell you what kind of cancer you have. They will suggest treatments like chemotherapy. They also help the patient manage symptoms and treatment side effects.
Do Oncologists Diagnose Mesothelioma?
Surgical oncologists can perform a biopsy to diagnose mesothelioma. However, most patients visit a general lung surgeon or gastrointestinal surgeon for a biopsy if cancer is suspected.
If the biopsy comes back positive for cancer, the patient is then referred to an oncology specialist.
Radiation Oncology for Mesothelioma
Radiation oncologists are specialty physicians who use radiation therapy to treat cancer.
Like surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists can specialize in treating certain types of cancer. For example, thoracic radiation oncology is radiation therapy for lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Radiation therapy can be used to shrink tumors or prevent cancer recurrence. It is also used as a palliative treatment to relieve pain and manage symptoms.
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Selby, K. (2024, June 27). Mesothelioma Oncologists. Asbestos.com. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://www.asbestos.com/treatment/specialists/oncologists/
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Hearing the news about my mother's diagnosis was heartbreaking. I felt lost, I didn't know how I could help or where to seek the best medical care. I started researching specialists online and shortly after, Dr. Smart reached out to me. She has been extremely helpful and encouraging throughout this entire process. Even though we aren't located in her area, she has helped us get in contact and set up appointments with the best doctors/specialists nearby. She has always been available for any questions that we have, and she even sent us a binder full of helpful resources. The patient advocates are amazing and true to their title. Dealing with this process is not easy, but knowing that we have someone like Dr. Smart in our corner is reassuring and we are so grateful for her and The Mesothelioma Center.
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Danielle DiPietro was an invaluable resource for me. Her suggestions and recommendations guided us towards stellar practitioners in our area. Without her advocacy, I feel we would have been receiving less-than-optimal medical and legal care for mesothelioma. Receiving the diagnosis was a shock and I felt lost initially. I wish everyone could take advantage of this FREE assistance.
I was very grateful and appreciative of Dr. Smart from The Mesothelioma Center. She was very helpful to my husband and me. She educated and walked us through the steps, and suggested ideas and questions to ask his doctors. She also provided me with a lot of information that I can read and educate myself about this illness. We need more people like Dr. Smart, who is very educated and you can tell she enjoys the work that she does by the way she assisted my husband and me. We thank the Lord and are grateful that we met Dr. Smart from The Mesothelioma Center.
In January of 2016, my husband was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. Our first reaction was: what is this and what can we do? He was diagnosed by an oncologist and was scheduled to start chemotherapy. When we arrived home that day, I googled mesothelioma and discovered The Mesothelioma Center had a form to fill out to request additional information. I filled it out and within an hour, I received a phone call from Karen Selby from The Mesothelioma Center asking if I needed any help. Karen was and still is my lifeline. She located a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic who performed surgery and HIPEC on peritoneal mesothelioma patients. My husband was scheduled with an appointment and his surgery was performed on March 3, 2016. He continued with follow-up appointments with the oncologist until a friend of ours passed away from it in 2017. Immediately I sent Karen an email asking if she knew any mesothelioma specialists at the clinic, and of course, I got a prompt response back with a name. Everything was going well until the last CAT scan, which showed it returned. He is now doing chemo and has his next CAT scan scheduled for the end of March with a follow-up for the results with the mesothelioma doctor. Without Karen, I am not sure my husband would still be here. She provided me with so much information along with help in various ways, too numerous to even mention. Thank you to all those who are there to help us.
Dr. Velotta is a leading thoracic surgeon and pleural mesothelioma specialist at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center and a Clinical Assistant Surgical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. With more than 15 years of experience, he leads research efforts in minimally invasive lung cancer surgery, pain management post-thoracic surgery and multimodal mesothelioma treatment. He is recognized for advancing image-guided surgical techniques and improving regional access to specialized mesothelioma care.
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