Mesothelioma Specialist Seeing Patients at Tampa VA Hospital

Wickii Vigneswaran, MD, is part of the treatment team at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, FL. Dr. Vigneswaran is an internationally recognized thoracic surgeon and a well-respected specialist of the rare and aggressive cancer mesothelioma.

Dr. Vigneswaran is a professor at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, which he joined in January 2024. A few months prior, in August 2023, he joined the James A. Haley VA Hospital. This information is from Dr. Vigneswaran’s LinkedIn page.

“I have significant experience in surgical treatment of end-stage lung disease including lung transplantation, lung volume reduction surgery and endo luminal therapy for more than 25 years and am a nationally recognized thoracic surgeon for treatment of pleural diseases including pleural mesothelioma,” Dr. Vigneswaran’s LinkedIn bio reads.

Dr. Vigneswaran previously was the System Director of Thoracic Surgery at Edward-Elmhurst Health in Illinois. He also was a professor and the Director of Thoracic Surgery at the Loyola University Health System. He received his medical degree from the University of Sri Lanka, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a Masters of Business Administration from Concordia University in Chicago.

 

Importance of Mesothelioma Specialists at VA Hospitals

Dr. Vigneswaran is one of just four distinguished mesothelioma doctors who are part of a treatment team at a VA hospital or medical center.

The other three mesothelioma doctors at VA hospitals are Dr. Robert Cameron (West Los Angeles VA Medical Center) and Drs. Eugene Choi and Lorraine Cornwell (Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX).

Approximately 33% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma are veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Exposure to asbestos is the only cause of mesothelioma, and military ships and aircraft contained asbestos during the 20th century. Veterans were exposed to asbestos daily during their times of service.

Veterans with mesothelioma of the U.S. military can receive VA-provided health insurance, if they meet the eligibility criteria, and once enrolled, can receive treatment at any VA Hospital. If the local VA hospital does not have a mesothelioma specialist, then the VA will often refer that veteran to a civilian mesothelioma specialist and pay that doctor for the treatment.

However, any veteran enrolled in VA Health Care can seek treatment from any doctor in the VA system, regardless of where they are located. Therefore, veterans with pleural mesothelioma who do not have a VA specialist locally can see Dr. Vigneswaren in Tampa, without a referral, regardless of where they are normally treated by the VA. If the veteran can get their local VA doctor to give them a referral to Dr. Vigneswaren, then the VA will pay the cost of travel to and from Tampa.

 

Dr. Vigneswaran’s Mesothelioma Experience

Dr. Vigneswaran is an experienced surgeon for mesothelioma. He can perform both of the aggressive surgeries for pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the tissue lining of the lungs.

The two surgeries are called pleurectomy with decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy. Pleurectomy with decortication removes the lining where the cancer forms, plus the diaphragm and the lining around the heart. Extrapleural pneumonectomy goes a step further, removing the lung most affected by tumors.

Dr. Vigneswaran said in a previous interview with Mesothelioma Guide that he prefers pleurectomy with decortication. The main reason is most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are older – above 60 years old – and they may not do well with only one lung.

“The majority of my patients are in their 70s or 80s (age) and have other comorbidities,” he said. “Most of my patients do better with pleurectomy and decortication. The morbidity is much less compared to extrapleural pneumonectomy.”

 

VA Tampa Healthcare System

The VA Tampa Healthcare System provides health care services at 10 locations in central Florida: the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa and nine other medical centers in Brooksville, Hidden River (Tampa), Lakeland, Lecanto, New Port Richey, South Hillsborough (Riverview) and Zephyrhills.

The VA Tampa Healthcare System is number one in the entire VA health network for the number of robotic surgeries performed.