Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute: Mesothelioma Treatment
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute can trace its root back to the Civil War, when Harper Hospital was founded in Detroit in 1863 to tend to those wounded in the war. After housing the beginnings of the Detroit Medical College in 1868 and growing into the 1900s, the Detroit Institute for Cancer Research was founded in 1943 with Dr. Rollin H. Stevens appointed as its first president.
After a number of mergers with the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Michigan Cancer Center, Detroit Medical Center, the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center of Metropolitan Detroit, a $15 million donation in 1995 by Peter Karmanos Jr. to the center in the name of his wife Barbara Ann resulted in the current center.
Currently serving as the only hospital in Michigan that focuses primarily on cancer care in the state, it has been designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, utilizing a budget of $216 million to care for more than 6,000 new patients every year.
Patients who are being treated for malignant mesothelioma are most often handled by the centers Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Team, which is headed by mesothelioma expert Dr. Shirish Gadgeel. Along with the other 14 members in the team, each of whom specialize in some form of surgery, pulmonary critical care, medical oncology, radiology, or pathology, individualized treatment cycles are developed to help patients receive the best care possible.
A number of clinical trials to study potential ways to detect and treat forms of cancer such as malignant mesothelioma as early as possible are also underway at the center.
For patients who are dealing with mesothelioma or
asbestos cancer that was likely caused by
asbestos exposure, laws exist that may allow for a potential lawsuit against a company or former employer if exposure to the fibers can be determined. In order to learn about your legal rights, contact a
mesothelioma attorney to see if there are any legal options that can be pursued.