UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles | Mesothelioma Center

UCLA Medical Center

UCLA Medical Center’s Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program is a revolutionary treatment and research center. This is due to its top mesothelioma doctors and expertise in treating the rare disease. The program’s director, Dr. Bryan Burt, is a world-renowned pleural mesothelioma expert. The center treats all stages of mesothelioma, even the rarest cell type of sarcomatoid mesothelioma.

About UCLA Medical Center

UCLA Medical Center is part of the University of California’s UCLA Health, one of the world’s most advanced and comprehensive health care systems.

As an academic health care system, UCLA Medical Center has access to leading-edge treatments not often found elsewhere. Since 2003, UCLA research has resulted in 21 new U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved cancer treatments.

The doctors and scientists at UCLA Medical Center are global leaders in diagnosing and treating complex illnesses like mesothelioma. For these reasons, UCLA Medical Center is widely recognized as one of the country’s top mesothelioma cancer treatment centers.

Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide for more information on receiving treatment at UCLA Medical Center and other top cancer treatment centers.

UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles Location and Highlights

UCLA Medical Center is in Los Angeles County and handles inpatient and outpatient care for patients across Southern California and beyond.

UCLA Medical Center mesothelioma patients may be treated at:

Torrance Cancer Care — Torrance, CA
Thoracic Surgery / Surgical Oncology — Los Angeles, CA
Santa Monica Cancer Care — Santa Monica, CA

UCLA Medical Center consistently receives top rankings from the nation’s most trusted sources, such as U.S. News & World Report. It has earned a spot on the publication’s Best Hospitals Honor Roll for over 30 years.

Fast Facts About UCLA Medical Center

Listed in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals Honor Roll
Ranked #1 in cancer care in California by U.S. News & World Report
Ranked as one of Newsweek’s best hospitals in the world
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) is one of the nation’s largest comprehensive cancer centers
Participates in hundreds of clinical trials each year, giving patients access to the newest promising treatment options
Runs the Center for Cancer Prevention and Control Research (CPCR) to educate and inform low-income and disadvantaged communities

The Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program at UCLA Medical Center

UCLA’s Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program has used lung-sparing surgery and innovative therapies since 1997. Because of this extensive experience, mesothelioma treatment at UCLA Medical Center is among the best in the world.

The physicians at UCLA Medical Center prioritize regular administration of low-impact therapies that hinder cancer growth without overwhelming the body or damaging healthy tissue. The treatment philosophy focuses on survival and quality of life for patients with all stages of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma treatment at UCLA Medical Center may involve:

Surgical procedures: The most notable surgery used is pleurectomy with decortication (P/D), which removes cancer tumors but spares both lungs.
Radiation therapy: This treatment uses high-energy rays to damage the DNA of cancer cells. It may include stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), or radiosurgery using the Novalis Tx image-guided system.
Chemotherapy: Cancer medicine is used to stop or shrink tumors and help relieve painful symptoms. It can be used as a standalone treatment or in combination with surgery or radiation.
Immunotherapy: This medication boosts the immune system’s response to mesothelioma by helping it destroy cancer cells.
Targeted therapy: This type of treatment uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Targeted therapies usually cause less harm to normal cells than chemotherapy or radiation therapy does.

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma patients can benefit from the expertise offered at UCLA’s Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program. Treatment for sarcomatoid mesothelioma may include chemotherapy agents followed by surgery and radiation.

UCLA Medical Center has also pioneered the more common use of immunotherapy and cryoablation. These two therapies complement its innovative mesothelioma management approach and have helped advance patients’ care.

Mesothelioma Doctors at UCLA Medical Center

UCLA’s Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program brings together some of the brightest medical and scientific minds from UCLA and the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

The program is run by Dr. Bryan Burt, one of America’s most renowned experts in pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Burt runs a research lab funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has led several clinical trials testing new immunotherapy treatments for patients with chest-related cancers.

Other mesothelioma specialists at UCLA Medical Center include:

Dr. Denise Aberle
Dr. Fereidoun Abtin
Dr. Adam Brown
Dr. Kathleen Brown
Dr. Johannes Czernin
Dr. Michael Fishbein
Dr. Nir Hoftman
Dr. Jonathan King
Dr. Jay Lee
Dr. Percy Lee
Dr. James Moore
Dr. Olevsky
Dr. Parisa Partownavid
Dr. Siamak Rahman
Dr. Christiaan Schiepers
Dr. Robert Suh
Dr. William Wallace
Dr. Jane Yanagawa

UCLA Medical Center’s mesothelioma doctors are some of the best in the world at treating this rare and aggressive condition, making them an excellent choice for pleural mesothelioma patients. Dr. Jonathan King also treats peritoneal mesothelioma at UCLA, offering hope to patients with this type.

Use our Free Doctor Match now for help finding specialists near you.

Mesothelioma Patient Experience at UCLA Medical Center

The patient care philosophy at UCLA Medical Center is to treat each patient as a whole person instead of simply their medical condition.

“Our goal is to provide the best patient experience with every patient, every encounter, every time.”
– UCLA Health

A multidisciplinary team treats each mesothelioma patient. This includes dedicated nurse practitioners who coordinate care and can answer patient questions.

UCLA Medical Center offers the following patient support services:

Alternative medicine practitioners
Counselors and other mental health support
Emotional and spiritual support options
Survivorship programs

UCLA Medical Center considers overall patient wellness on all levels. This type of comprehensive patient care is often neglected in today’s cancer treatment programs.

Clinical Trials at UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles

UCLA Medical Center offers an extensive range of clinical trials and experimental treatments. Clinical trials are research studies that patients can choose to participate in. They are crucial to the development of new techniques for cancer prevention, treatment, and diagnosis.

These promising therapies can help improve patient prognosis and advance medical education and research toward more effective mesothelioma treatments in the future.

Clinical trials only take patients who fall under specific criteria, and they also have various deadlines. Talk with your doctor about participating in a mesothelioma clinical trial.

Download our Free Checklist of Questions to Ask Your Doctor to help make the most of your next appointment.

Insurance Accepted at UCLA Medical Center

UCLA Medical Center accepts most health insurance plans. The center will directly bill your insurance company for any services covered under your plan.

Health insurance plans accepted at UCLA Health Hospitals include:

Employer-sponsored HMO, PPO, and POS insurance plans
Government health insurance programs, including Medicare and Medi-Cal
Individual, family, and small businesses insurance plans
Medicare Advantage
Organ and stem cell transplant insurance plans

Please note that this list is not exhaustive. For the most complete and accurate information, please call your insurance provider directly. You can also call UCLA Medical Center at (800) UCLA-MD1 (1-800-825-2631).

Seeking Mesothelioma Treatment at UCLA Medical Center

The expertise and extensive experience treating mesothelioma make UCLA Medical Center one of the country’s top cancer treatment centers. For help connecting with this cancer center, work with Mesothelioma Hope.

Our Patient Advocates can help find top mesothelioma doctors and cancer centers near you. Call (866) 608-8933 now to get started. We’re ready to assist you and your family in any way we can.