Mesothelioma is a complex cancer — but treatments are advancing, specialists are concentrated at a handful of centers, and substantial financial resources exist for patients and families. This is where to start.
Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that develops in the mesothelium — the thin layer of tissue that lines many of the body's internal organs. Most cases arise in the pleura, the lining surrounding the lungs and chest wall, though mesothelioma can also form around the abdomen, the heart, or the testes.
Nearly every case is linked to asbestos exposure, often decades earlier. Mesothelioma has an unusually long latency period — typically twenty to fifty years between exposure and the first symptoms — which means the people being diagnosed today were frequently exposed in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s through shipyard work, construction, automotive repair, military service, power plants, refineries, or industrial manufacturing. Secondhand exposure from a spouse or parent's workwear is also well-documented.
Because mesothelioma is rare, not every oncologist sees it regularly. Outcomes vary significantly based on who is treating you and where — and that is one of the most important facts a newly diagnosed patient can learn early. The specialists and centers on this page see mesothelioma every week, not every year.
A decade ago, the options for mesothelioma were narrow. Today, treatment is a coordinated conversation between surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation — tailored to the subtype, the stage, and the person.
A new frontier. Since the FDA's 2020 approval of Opdivo–Yervoy and the 2024 approval of Keytruda with chemotherapy for pleural mesothelioma, checkpoint inhibitors have extended survival for patients who, not long ago, had few options beyond chemotherapy alone. These drugs unlock the immune system's ability to recognize and attack cancer cells — with responses that can last months or years.
Learn more about immunotherapyFor eligible patients, surgery remains the most aggressive approach — and at specialized centers, potentially curative. The two primary procedures, pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) and extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), are complex operations performed by high-volume thoracic teams. Outcomes correlate directly with surgical volume, making where you have it done as important as whether you have it done.
Learn more about surgeryThe pemetrexed–cisplatin combination has been the standard first-line chemotherapy regimen for two decades and remains central to many treatment plans — increasingly used alongside bevacizumab or in combination with immunotherapy. Second-line options continue to expand, and for many patients, chemotherapy is the backbone around which other treatments are built.
Learn more about chemotherapyDelivered with precision to control local disease, reduce pain, or consolidate surgical results. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton beam therapy now make it possible to target tumor tissue while largely sparing lungs, heart, and spinal cord — overcoming a technical ceiling that limited radiation's role in mesothelioma for years.
Learn more about radiationMost oncologists will see only a handful of mesothelioma cases across a career. These physicians see it as a practice — and the difference in experience often translates directly into outcomes.
Chief of Thoracic Surgery and director of the International Mesothelioma Program. One of the world's most published surgeons on mesothelioma multimodal therapy.
Director of the Mesothelioma Program and international leader in clinical trials. Principal investigator on landmark studies that have brought new drugs to mesothelioma patients.
Director of MD Anderson's Mesothelioma Program. Leads frontline immunotherapy and targeted-therapy research, with ASCO Merit Award recognition.
Co-Director of the Mesothelioma Program at MSK. Pioneer of mesothelin-targeted CAR-T cell therapy and Vice Chair for Translational Research in Surgery.
U.S. institutions with dedicated mesothelioma programs — multidisciplinary teams, active research, and surgical volumes that matter.
Mesothelioma is one of the most expensive cancers to treat in the United States. Knowing the numbers ahead of time is the first step toward not being blindsided by them — and toward accessing the financial support that exists precisely because of them.
Combined first-year mesothelioma treatment costs routinely exceed:
Because asbestos manufacturers knew the risks for decades and concealed them, the courts and Congress have established specific avenues for mesothelioma patients and their families — trust funds, compensation, veterans' benefits, and settlements designed to move quickly. Most patients qualify for some combination. Few realize it.
Talk with a patient advocate who focuses exclusively on mesothelioma — next steps, specialist referrals, and financial eligibility in one conversation.