Personalized Treatment Philosophy

Approximately 3,000 new patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the U.S. every year.

The International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital is the largest program of its kind in the world. Our team members conduct more than 300 consultations with patients each year.

A ‘Going for Broke’ Philosophy

Our vision is “Quality life extension, leading to a cure.”

We tell our patients that while there is no cure for mesothelioma, we will do everything possible to help them in their journeys. And we have had some remarkable successes – many of our patients are living productive lives 10, 12, even 15 years and more after their treatment.

Why? Because we “go for broke” in diagnosing and treating the patients who come to us for their care. Our comprehensive diagnostic and treatment strategies give patients everything we’ve got, including:
• high-tech diagnostics
• state-of-the-art surgical techniques, chemotherapy, and radiation
• pioneering genetic research leading to targeted therapies
• compassionate clinical and supportive care.

We “go for broke” in diagnosing and treating the patients who come to us for their care.

A Cumulative Knowledge Base

Patients benefit from the collective experience of a world-class team of clinicians and scientists, many of whom have been working together for more than 20 years in mesothelioma treatment and research.

Over the past two decades, our team has assembled an unparalleled knowledge and practice base such that we can provide the full spectrum of care that mesothelioma patients deserve. At the same time, we have built a research infrastructure that is seeking a cure while also working in the here and now to improve care.

We offer expert diagnosis, beginning with a comprehensive evaluation. This involves a thorough medical history, physical examination, pulmonary function tests, and imaging studies such as X-ray, CT, and MRI. The evaluation also may include a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and a check for lymph node involvement to determine the extent of disease.

A Personalized Approach to Care

We believe in multimodality treatment for mesothelioma. This means we employ a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation as the foundation of our treatment approach.

Until recently, one of our greatest challenges has been determining the best treatment strategy for each patient’s unique disease circumstances. Our physician-scientists have developed a testing strategy including histology, genomic factors, lymph node status, tumor volume, and blood tests. All these indicators allow us to predict each patient’s risk category prior to surgery.

This information enables us to tailor therapy and offer the treatment most likely to benefit each patient.