Robert B. Cameron, MD, FACS
Professor of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery and Surgical Oncology
Director, Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an unusual cancer because it
grows throughout the chest cavity as a diffuse process rather than a typical
solid nodule or mass. Because of this unique characteristic, it has very
specific treatment issues. MPM also is an unusual tumor with less than 3000 new cases annually, and therefore, most physicians, even pulmonologists and medical oncologists, may only see these patients infrequently. Despite this, it is critical that all physicians involved in the care of MPM patients be familiar with the important issues in this disease and possess a thorough understanding regarding the tumor itself, its evaluation process, staging, treatment and the role of multidisciplinary management of these patients. This includes the role and extent of surgery as well as radiation, chemotherapy and newer targeted therapies. Robert B. Cameron, MD, the course organizer and the Director of the UCLA Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program, has had over 28 years of experience with treating patients with MPM and, in particular, lung-sparing therapies, including pleurectomy and decortication surgical procedures and a number of complementary adjuvant therapies with the goal of treating this deadly disease like a chronic illness, similar to hypertension and diabetes.
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