Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Center

Mesothelioma Treatment at Wake Forest Baptist

Wake Forest Baptist has a long history of providing quality care for mesothelioma patients. Many of the center’s physicians are also consistently ranked as the “Best Doctors in America.” The center has held the prestigious NCI comprehensive designation since 1974, assuring patients that they have access to the latest cancer technologies, clinical trials, and treatments.

Since 1991, patients have been treated at Wake Forest Baptist with the promising and innovative therapy called HIPEC. This procedure is performed by only a handful of surgeons across the country. Wake Forest Baptist has performed over 1,100 HIPEC procedures with cytoreduction since then, representing one of the most experienced teams worldwide.

Collaboration is key at Wake Forest Baptist, where physicians and medical staff take a cross-departmental team approach to advance the science and treatment of cancers like pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. These cooperative efforts include areas such as drug development, cancer imaging, natural products, cancer genomics, nanotechnology, tumor microenvironment and cancer survivorship.

At the center of this team is Dr. Edward Levine, chief of surgical oncology, and Dr. Konstantinos Votanopoulos, surgical oncologist. A graduate of Aristotle University School of Medicine, Dr. Votanopoulos has more than 17 years of experience treating pleural mesothelioma.

Dr. Levine is considered a nationally-recognized expert in surgical oncology and the treatment of peritoneal malignancy. He is also considered an internationally-renowned expert on the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and cytoreductive surgery.

Clinical Trials at Wake Forest Baptist

Patients with nearly any type of cancer have the opportunity to participate in one of the close to 250 research studies conducted by oncologists from Wake Forest Baptist. Most of these studies combine traditional treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Other studies focus on more novel approaches, such as fusion toxins, targeted agents, and gene therapy.

Wake Forest Baptist also integrates complementary and alternative medications, including vitamin and nutritional therapies, in both treating mesothelioma and managing symptoms.

Additionally, Wake Forest Baptist is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) research base. As one of only six CCOP research bases in the country, Wake Forest Baptist can perform clinical trials in community cancer centers nationwide. This is beneficial to mesothelioma patients because they can take part in clinical trials without having to travel far.

Is the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist Right for You?

Wake Forest’s HIPEC expertise brings in patients from across the country to take part in established treatments and clinical trials. The medical team has been honored with a multitude of prestigious medical awards and listings in esteemed medical publications. Medical team members have also trained surgeons to perform the HIPEC with cytoreduction procedure at other leading institutions. Members of the medical team can provide hope and therapy to patients thought to be untreatable at other facilities.

• Access to over 250 clinical trials and studies
• Established and experienced HIPEC program top in the world
• Knowledgeable and caring oncology staff
• Treatment through community cancer centers

Our team of patient advocates are knowledgeable about these facilities and can help take the pressure off finding the right cancer center. Contact a patient advocate at 1-888-385-2024 to get in touch with Wake Forest Baptist, or get a complete list of treatment centers in our free Mesothelioma Guide.