UCLA Hospital

The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is not only known as a superior cancer treatment center, U.S. News & World Report recently ranked it as one of the best medical centers in the United States.

Mesothelioma patients from around the world travel to this facility for it's thoracic oncology and lung cancer programs. Both are known for using cutting-edge technology and patient-centered services to help treat asbestos-related diseases. The hospital is home to some of the leading asbestos-cancer researchers and physicians whose goals are to effectively treat and eradicate the disease.

Jonsson Comprehensive Care Center

Like many of the top medical centers, UCLA takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating asbestos cancer. Every week, teams of medical professionals from all medical disciplines, including traditional and complementary medicines, meet to discuss specific patient cases. From this, personalized treatment plans are created. What makes UCLA different from the rest is its record for success and noteworthy accomplishments in treatment. The hospital has built its reputation through the physicians and researchers. Some are focused specifically on the treatment of mesothelioma:

• Dr. Robert Cameron - With a primary focus on asbestos cancers, Cameron is outspoken and passionate about lung-sparing surgery, saying that surgeries like the extrapleural pnemonectomy are not the appropriate treatment for asbestos-cancer patients. Instead, he prefers minimally invasive techniques and robotic thoracic surgery. Cameron is the hospital.s director of thoracic surgery and a scientific advisor for the Pacific Meso Center, which studies treatments and cures for asbestos diseases. He also founded the hospital's Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program.
• Dr. Jay Lee - As director of the hospital.s Lung Cancer Program, Lee specializes in all aspects of lung cancers including asbestos diseases. His research interests include immunotherapy and gene therapy.
• Dr. Jane Yanagawa - Another of UCLA.s famed thoracic surgeons, Yanagawa is known for expertise in asbestos and other lung cancer surgeries.

Research and Studies

In 1977, UCLA was one of the few designated institutes across the nation that was chosen by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to help create the Lung Cancer Study Group. This was the first cooperative study group created to examine the origins and treatment of lung cancer. In 2007, UCLA was again one of the few institutes again named by the NCI to study lung cancer, this time as the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE). The director of the UCLA.s Lung Cancer Research Program received a $13.9 million grant to start the program.

The hospital also actively participates in hundreds of clinical trials including several that focus specifically on asbestos cancer. There are more than 240 physicians who work in and through the hospital and more than 20,000 patients visit each year.