Dr. Marcelo DaSilva
Medical Director of Thoracic Surgery at AdventHealth Cancer Institute
Dr. Marcelo DaSilva is a rare mesothelioma doctor who specializes in treating both of the two main types of mesothelioma. He started the mesothelioma treatment program at AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Central Florida.
Pleural Mesothelioma and Peritoneal Mesothelioma
AdventHealth Cancer Institute
2415 N. Orange Ave. Suite 700, Orlando, FL 32804
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More Information About Mesothelioma Specialist Dr. Marcelo DaSilva
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer of specific linings in the body. The two main types of mesothelioma are pleural mesothelioma (lining of the lungs) and peritoneal mesothelioma (lining of the abdominal cavity). Dr. DaSilva provides treatment for both.
Dr. DaSilva is the medical director of thoracic surgery at AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida. He has been practicing medicine for 25 years. He started at AdventHealth in November 2019, when he began the hospital’s mesothelioma program. He’s also a professor at the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. DaSilva trained under the late Dr. David Sugarbaker at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, an affiliation of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
“At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we created the abdominal peritoneal mesothelioma program five years ago,” Dr. DaSilva said. “It was very successful. … I’ve talked to one of the surgeons here (at Advent Health), and he is willing to be my partner in peritoneal mesothelioma. So my program will tackle both: abdominal peritoneal mesothelioma and thoracic pleural mesothelioma.”
He has experience with surgery for pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma:
- Pleurectomy with decortication
- Extrapleural pneumonectomy
- Cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC
- HITHOC for pleural mesothelioma
- Medical Degree from Universidade Gama Filho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1990
- General surgery residency at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 1999
- Surgical oncology residency at Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute in Boston
- Thoracic surgery residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston
- Cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Loyola University in Maywood, Illinois
- Board‑certified in general surgery, trauma and surgical critical care, and cardiovascular surgery
- Certified by the American Board of Surgery
Get Connected to Dr. Marcelo DaSilva
Although Dr. DaSilva has been known for his work with pleural mesothelioma patients, he is also dedicated to bringing exceptional treatment to peritoneal patients. He is a caring, optimistic and experienced surgeon.
Why Choose Dr. DaSilva?
- Personal and individualized care
- Pleural and peritoneal surgeon
- Ability to perform all surgeries
Creating a Comprehensive Program
Treatment of mesothelioma includes surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation therapy. Most specialists like Dr. DaSilva prefer to use a combination of these treatment options.
For years, Dr. DaSilva dreamed of creating a truly comprehensive mesothelioma program that could treat all patients with mesothelioma. He did just that at AdventHealth.
“I’ve talked to one of the surgeons here (at Advent Health), and he is willing to be my partner in peritoneal mesothelioma. So my program will tackle both: abdominal peritoneal mesothelioma and thoracic pleural mesothelioma.”
According to Dr. DaSilva, about 30% of his pleural mesothelioma patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital eventually returned with peritoneal mesothelioma.
“What we noticed in the past was, they come, they have the surgery in the chest, then two or three years later they have abdominal (mesothelioma),” Dr. DaSilva said. For a long time he had to refer these patients to other hospitals for their peritoneal treatment. We have to say, ‘we don’t do this over here, you have to go someplace else.’ They kind of feel like we’re cutting and running … and that didn’t sit well with our group (at Brigham & Women’s Health) and so that’s when we decided, ‘Hey let’s just do it ourselves.’”
Podcast Interview With Dr. DaSilva
Surgery for mesothelioma includes pleurectomy with decortication, extrapleural pneumonectomy, and cytoreduction surgery with HIPEC. Other options are immunotherapy and standard chemotherapy.
Dr. DaSilva joined the Mesothelioma Guide podcast to discuss those options along with his goals for AdventHealth Cancer Institute and his experience from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Look, when someone gets sick, they want to stay close to home,” Dr. DaSilva said on the podcast. “They want their family to come and visit. They want to stay connected to their family, community and church.
“I think (we are) creating something in Central Florida that not only allows people to be treated with the best multidisciplinary team but also stay close to home.”
Compassionate, Hands‑On Approach to Treatment
Dr. DaSilva believes in a holistic, individualized approach to creating treatment plans. Although he will occasionally review a patient’s files without seeing them first, he says that seeing a patient in‑person is an important step to figuring out if they should undergo surgery.
“There’s what we call the eyeball test,” Dr. DaSilva said, meaning that interacting with the patient helps surgeons decide if the patient is healthy and resilient enough for major surgery. He doesn’t have a specific age limit for his patients either but takes many aspects of their health into account.
Dr. DaSilva also noted that he doesn’t give his patients a “death certificate.” He has watched many people with mesothelioma live for numerous years after their diagnosis.
How to See Dr. Marcelo DaSilva
If you think Dr. DaSilva and AdventHealth are a good fit for your treatment, please contact our patient advocates. They are dedicated to connecting patients to the best doctors in the country through our free Doctor Match program.
Sources & Author
- Marcelo DaSilva, MD. AdventHealth. Retrieved from: https://www.adventhealth.com/find-doctor/doctor/marcelo-dasilva-md-1922064138. Accessed: 08/27/2021.
