National Cancer Institute
If you are selecting a cancer center for treatment of anasbestos cancer like peritoneal mesothelioma or pericardial mesothelioma, it is important to find a highly regarded clinic where the latest drugs are offered. Although mesothelioma is now understood as a consequence of asbestos exposure, occurrence of the disease is still relatively unusual in the general populace; many clinicians have never seen any patients with it. Therefore it is vital that people with an asbestos diagnosis seek out oncologists and treatment centers that have experience in treating mesothelioma disease; this is definitely a situation in which it makes sense to see someone who has specialized in mesothelioma care. In addition to offering drugs like Gemcitabine, radiation therapy and surgical treatment, most hospitals that specialize in cancer treatment also provide counseling to assist patients and their families come to terms with the stress of dealing with the cancer. Some parts of the country don't have state-of-the-art clinics for hard-to-treat diseases such as asbestos-related cancer, in which case you may be required to travel so as to obtain the kind of medical care you need.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) of Bethesda, Maryland was founded in 1937 and is considered the leading cancer organization in the world. NCI activities include:
- cancer research
- research support through grants
- collection, analysis, and dissemination cancer research findings
- training and instruction in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer
Since its founding, the National Cancer Institute has supported the research efforts of 20 Nobel Prize winners, whose efforts led to the discovery of the segmental nature of eukaryotic genes, RNA splicing, oncogenes, and reverse transcriptase as well as clinical applications such as allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, magnetic resonance imaging, and hormonal treatments for cancer.
NCI is organized into numerous divisions both internal and external:
- Cancer Biology
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences
- Cancer Prevention
- Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
- Center for Cancer Research
- ranch, Lab, and Program Index
- Cancer Epidemiology
- Genetics
The National Cancer Institute lists many different types of mesothelioma as well as treatment options that include Localized Malignant Mesothelioma (Stage I), Advanced Malignant Mesothelioma (Stage II, Stage III, and Stage IV), and Recurrent Malignant Mesothelioma. Treatments for Malignant Mesothelioma may include:
- Pleurectomy and decortication (with or without radiation therapy)
- extrapleural pneumonectomy
- radiation therapy or a
- clinical trials involving combinations of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
For Recurrent Malignant Mesothelioma, the National Cancer Institute recommends biologic therapy and clinical trials of chemotherapy and surgery.
Contact Information
6116 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20892
(800) 422-6237
Sources
The National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.gov/
http://www.nci.nih.gov/
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