Wake Forest Baptist Health
1 Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27157
Wake Forest Baptist Health is a mesothelioma cancer center with one of the few national HIPEC programs in the country. The staff includes multiple mesothelioma specialists, with a focus on peritoneal mesothelioma.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Pleural Mesothelioma
Wake Forest Baptist Health
1 Medical Center Bldv.
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Dr. Edward Levine
Dr. Konstantinos Votanopoulos
Dr. Paul Savage
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More About Mesothelioma Treatment at Wake Forest Baptist Health
Wake Forest Baptist Health, located in Winston-Salem, N.C., includes a premier cancer center for treating mesothelioma called the Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Center. The cancer center is considered a highly ranked institution for treating this disease.
The Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Center mesothelioma program’s focus includes treating people with peritoneal mesothelioma, notably the use of HIPEC surgery after debulking surgery. Dr. Edward Levine is the head of treatment for this cancer at the center. He’s a highly regarded surgeon.
Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Center received recognition as a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. This acknowledges the cancer center’s excellence in patient care, research and education.
Wake Forest Baptist Health and Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Center are also educational institutions, affiliated with Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Wake Forest is one of the few mesothelioma cancer centers associated with a prestigious academic institution. Studies show that academic cancer centers have a higher volume of cancer cases and better survival outcomes.
- Dr. Edward Levine, chief of surgical oncology and and senior advisor to the director of the Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Dr. Konstantinos Votanopoulos, surgical oncologist
- Dr. Paul Savage, medical oncologist
- Dr. Jill Ohar, pulmonologist
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Peritoneal mesothelioma and pleural mesothelioma
- Cytoreductive or debulking surgery
- Heated intraoperative chemotherapy
Get Connected to Wake Forest Baptist Health
Surgeons at the hospital have performed more than 1,000 HIPEC procedures for peritoneal mesothelioma. This puts Wake Forest Baptist Health near the top for case volume, an important factor for choosing a cancer center for treatment.
Why Choose Wake Forest?
- National program seeing patients from across country
- Experienced surgeons with HIPEC treatment
- Named a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute
Decades of Experience With HIPEC
Wake Forest Baptist Health’s innovative HIPEC mesothelioma program began in 1991. Around seven years later, Dr. Levine joined the staff as a surgical oncologist. HIPEC is a type of mesothelioma surgery.
The cancer center also provides adjuvant treatment after HIPEC surgery. These options include systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy. They’re determined on a case-by-cases basis.
“It depends on the clinical situation,” Dr. Levine said. “It depends on how complete of a cytoreduction we achieved.”
Wake Forest Baptist Health provides a multidisciplinary team of experts. The cancer center has multiple medical oncologists specializing in pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Jill Ohar is a pulmonologist who specializes in pleural mesothelioma. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award in COPD from the American Thoracic Society.
- Not listed in the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 hospitals Honor Roll
- Ranked 6th in North Carolina
- Ranked 1st in Winston-Salem/Greensboro
Leader in Clinical Trials
Wake Forest Baptist Health 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.
The cancer center is involved in many clinical trials for mesothelioma. The center is part of 10 studies involving mesothelioma listed on the clinicaltrials.gov database.
One focused on quality of life and survivorship after HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma. Another used an experimental drug,
Sources & Author
- Edward A. Levine, MD. Wake Forest Baptist Health. Retrieved from: https://www.wakehealth.edu/Providers/L/Edward-A-Levine. Accessed: 08/24/2021.
- Konstantinos Votanopoulos, MD, PhD. Wake Forest Baptist Health. Retrieved from: https://www.wakehealth.edu/Providers/V/Konstantinos-Votanopoulos. Accessed: 08/27/2021.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center. Wake Forest Baptist Health. Retrieved from: https://www.wakehealth.edu/Locations/Facilities/Comprehensive-Cancer-Center. Accessed: 08/27/2021.
- Jill Ohar, MD. Wake Forest Baptist Health. Retrieved from: https://www.wakehealth.edu/Providers/O/Jill-Ohar. Accessed: 08/27/2021.
- Paul D. Savage, MD. Wake Forest Baptist Health. Retrieved from: https://www.wakehealth.edu/Providers/S/Paul-D-Savage. Accessed: 09/13/2021.
- Women in CP. American Thoracic Society. Retrieved from: https://www.thoracic.org/members/assemblies/assemblies/cp/working-groups/women-in-cp/jill-ohar.php. Accessed: 08/27/2021.
- Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from: https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/nc/wake-forest-baptist-medical-center-6361700#rankings. Accessed: 07/21/2024.
