Moffitt Cancer Center
12902 USF Magnolia Drive, Tampa, Florida 33612
Moffitt Cancer Center, in Tampa, Florida, is one of the leading medical institutions for thoracic malignancies. The highly regarded mesothelioma cancer center welcomes patients with all types of the disease and has a specialist on staff.
Pleural Mesothelioma
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
12902 USF Magnolia Drive
Tampa, Florida
Dr. Jacques Fontaine
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More About Mesothelioma Treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center
Mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer forming in cavity linings, requires a skilled medical team to treat. Moffitt Cancer Center is one of the top mesothelioma institutions in the United States.
The official name of the center is H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, the third-largest cancer center in the United States. This hospital is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
Dr. Jacques Fontaine is the section head of Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center. He’s a highly regarded thoracic surgeon involved in clinical trials and research.
Dr. Fontaine joined Moffitt Cancer Center as a thoracic surgeon in 2011. He kick-started an official division of mesothelioma treatment. A decade later, Moffitt Cancer Center is one of the top mesothelioma hospitals in the world.
The center has around 70 cases per year of pleural mesothelioma, which forms in the lining of the lung cavity. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma. Dr. Fontaine and his team operate on approximately 14 (20%) of the pleural mesothelioma patients they see every year at Moffitt Cancer Center.
- Dr. Jacques Fontaine, section head of mesothelioma treatment
- Dr. Jhanelle Gray, Chair of Medical Oncology
- Dr. Eric Haura, medical oncologist
- Dr. Ben Creelan, medical oncologist
- Dr. Farah Khalil, pathologist
- University of South Florida
- Pleurectomy/decortication surgery
- Extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery
- Immunotherapy
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Tumor treating fields therapy
Get Connected to Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center is a leader in mesothelioma treatment, research and clinical trials. Dr. Jacques Fontaine started the center’s Mesothelioma Treatment department in 2011. It has one of the highest case volumes for pleural mesothelioma in the country.
Why Choose Moffitt Cancer Center?
- Clinical trials hosted at hospital
- Versatile surgeon can perform multiple operations
- Many treatment options
Protocol for Treatment With Surgery
Surgery for mesothelioma includes either pleurectomy/decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy. Pleurectomy/decortication leaves both lungs intact and an extrapleural pneumonectomy takes out a lung. Pleurectomy/decortication removes the pleural lining, diaphragm and lining around the heart.
Patients at Moffitt Cancer Center either have surgery right away or begin systemic therapy. Surgical patients at this center usually have surgery right away to avoid tumors growing and spreading.
Systemic therapy includes immunotherapy or chemotherapy. Following surgery, patients have systemic chemotherapy. If that falters, they receive an immunotherapy regimen (either immune checkpoint inhibitors or the anti-VEGF drug bevacizumab).
Radiation Therapy Following Surgery
Following surgery, patients may also receive mesothelioma radiation on one side of the chest. This is a common option after extrapleural pneumonectomy (radiation targeted at the space where the lung was removed).
Adjuvant radiation therapy is only offered in clinical trials following pleurectomy/decortication. The presence of both lungs makes radiation tricky, as the therapy may damage healthy lung tissue.
“Even if you’re doing proton radiation — which is hard to find and not available in any center — there’s still a significant chance of burning the lung or burning the esophagus, which can be fatal,” Dr. Fontaine explained. “While there are tremendous improvements, it should be done at a center that has experience doing radiation for mesothelioma.”
- Not listed in the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Hospitals Honor Roll
- Ranked 27th for cancer treatment
- Not ranked for gastrointestinal cancer surgery
- Not ranked for lung cancer surgery
Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy and Tumor Treating Fields
The aim for systemic therapy is to increase survival without decreasing quality of life. Chemotherapy can add months to a patient’s life but also causes uncomfortable side effects. Immunotherapy does not have the extended history of treating mesothelioma cancer as chemotherapy does, but it has shown great results with mesothelioma patients. Immunotherapy also causes fewer adverse reactions than chemotherapy.
“Chemotherapy has a longer track record,” Dr. Fontaine said. “We know it works. It doesn’t cure, but it extends life.”
Optune Lua, the FDA-approved tumor treating fields therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma, is an option through Moffitt Cancer Center. It sends electromagnetic waves through the chest cavity, disrupting tumor growth.
Dr. Fontaine said it’s “an exciting new technology” but he’s not sure it helps life expectancy.
“It probably doesn’t hurt patients but it’s cumbersome,” he said, noting it’s a device patients wear most of the day. “You have to wear this thing all the time, and it can cause skin irritation. It probably doesn’t hurt, but we don’t have enough to know if it helps.”
How to Treat Sarcomatoid Cell Type
For cases of sarcomatoid cell histology, surgery is typically not an option. This cell type can be difficult to remove in most cases.
These patients usually begin immunotherapy — the checkpoint inhibitors Opdivo and Yervoy — first. This option seems to benefit sarcomatoid cases immensely.
“We do have some data with nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) showing it does help, especially in the sarcomatoid patients,” Dr. Fontaine said. “It has less side effects and is better tolerated.”
How to Get Treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center
The team at Moffitt covers every aspect of multimodal treatment for mesothelioma. Aside from Dr. Fontaine, some of the medical professionals involved in treatment of this cancer are:
- Dr. Ben Creelan, medical oncologist
- Dr. Jhanelle Gray, chair of medical oncology
- Dr. Bradford Perez, radiation oncologist
- Terry Depin, RN, nurse navigator
We will be happy to help you or a loved one get in touch with the staff at Moffitt Cancer Center. The first step is reaching out to our registered nurse and patient advocate, Karen Ritter, for assistance.
Karen’s email is karen@mesotheliomaguide.com. You can also send her a message through our Contact a Patient Advocate page. She’ll be happy to help you contact a top cancer facility, such as Moffitt Cancer Center, or assist in any way possible.
Sources & Author
- Your Mesothelioma Specialists. Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved from: https://moffitt.org/cancers/mesothelioma/your-mesothelioma-specialists/. Accessed: 05/17/2023.
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from: https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/fl/moffitt-cancer-center-6391069. Accessed: 07/21/2024.
- Jacques Fontaine, MD. Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved from: https://moffitt.org/providers/jacques-fontaine/. Accessed: 10/22/2021.
- Ben Creelan, MD. Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved from: https://moffitt.org/providers/ben-creelan/. Accessed: 10/22/2021.
- Bradford Perez, MD. Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved from: https://moffitt.org/providers/bradford-perez/. Accessed: 10/22/2021.
- Department of Thoracic Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center. Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved from: https://moffitt.org/media/4184/thoracic-oncology-brochure_web.pdf. Accessed: 10/22/2021.
