Kansas City Mesothelioma and Asbestos Cancer Treatment Centers

Although overall cancer survival rates have improved significantly since the 1990s, the mesothelioma five-year survival rate is under 10%. Some emerging treatments may change that figure dramatically. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene editing therapy is a good example. Usually, altered cell DNA causes tumors to form. If genetic mutations cause them, it stands to reason that genetic mutations can cure them. Two doctors shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their CRISPR development.

Additionally, over the years, doctors have continually refined traditional cancer treatments. These refinements may soon make them effective against mesothelioma. Radiation therapy is a good example. In the 1990s, radiation treatment basically meant putting a patient under an X-ray machine. High-dose radiation caused too much collateral damage. Modern targeted radiation treatments enable doctors to increase the intensity and shrink tumors without damaging healthy tissue.

These cutting-edge treatments are expensive. A Kansas City mesothelioma attorney obtains the financial compensation these victims need to take full advantage of these modern treatments. This compensation usually includes money for current and future medical expenses. So, a family is well-equipped for a long-term fight. Compensation is also available for emotional distress and other noneconomic losses. Injury victims should never suffer in silence. Additional punitive damages are usually available in asbestos exposure cases as well.

Pleural Mesothelioma, the most common kind of asbestos-related cancer, is a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer. These two features combine to make PlM a very nasty kind of a very nasty disease.

PlM is rare and difficult to diagnose. Generally, these victims have no lifestyle or genetic markers that put them in high-risk cancer categories. As a result, doctors usually do not perform designated PlM tests. Furthermore, the tumor forms in the thick membranes of the mesothelium (the layer that separates the heart and lungs). Therefore, the tiny tumor is difficult to spot.

Because it is so rare, PlM misdiagnosis is common. NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) misdiagnosis is a good example. NSCLC is much more common than PlM. NSCLC is also much less aggressive than PlM. Low-intensity treatments that are effective against NSCLC usually do not affect PlM tumors.

Once PlM tumors become embedded, they usually metastasize quickly, mostly because of their proximity to the heart and circulatory system. Once any kind of cancer reaches Stage III or Stage IV, it is almost impossible to treat.

Asbestos also causes non-cancer illnesses, such as pleural thickening. Asbestos fibers inflame these already thick membranes. Pleural thickening comes in many forms. Some cases are practically harmless. Others almost literally crush the lungs.

The aviation industry built Wichita and many other large Kansas cities. Until around 1980, builders laced these planes with asbestos. The industry doubled down on asbestos use in the 1960s after a 1963 fire aboard a Pan Am flight killed 800 people. The fire, which was caused when a lightning bolt ignited fuel vapors, ruined the Boeing 707’s perfect safety record, sending shock waves through the industry.

About the same time, the Cancer Center of Kansas opened with one location in Wichita. This healthcare organization specializes in the treatment of all types of cancer and blood disorders, including mesothelioma. Since its founding in 1975, the center has expanded to 20 sites throughout the state of Kansas.

The Cancer Center of Kansas was founded by Dr. Harry Hynes. Dr. Shaker Dakhil joined him in 1980, and from there, the treatment center continued to grow. By 2018, more than 15 physicians and health care providers representing a range of specialties, worked at the Cancer Center of Kansas. These doctors not only treat and see patients at the center’s main location in Wichita but also travel to other satellite locations each week to bring quality care to patients throughout the state of Kansas. The clinic followed up with the creation of a community-based oncology research program in 1983. Over the next ten years, it expanded to Dodge City as other doctors joined Drs. Hynes and Dakhil.

Dr. Hynes retired in 2000 and passed away shortly thereafter after losing his own battle with cancer. Dr. Dakhil now leads the company. The CCK continued expanding, first with a new, modern facility in Wichita and then with satellite locations in Pratt and Manhattan.

Another noted cancer mesothelioma treatment center, the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion at the University of Kansas, opened shortly after Mr. Bloch was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1978.

The doctors hee believe in the connection between patient comfort and patient recovery. So, the three-story building features many amenities to make a patient’s time there as enjoyable as possible. Included in the facility are a cafe, an accredited boutique, and an appearance center, as well as complimentary valet parking for all patients. Providing these services helps comfort patients, like those with mesothelioma, receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Speaking of the University of Kansas,the school sponsors a number of clinical trials. These participants receive treatment for their own mesothelioma cancer. Plus, the information researchers gather helps future victims better deal with their illnesses.

Pendergast Readi-Mix Concrete facilities once provided thousands of jobs in the Kansas City area. Furthermore, the Grace Company, which shipped asbestos-laced vermiculite all over the world, had several large facilities in the area. Some of the larger mesothelioma treatment centers in Missouri include:

• Barnes-Jewish Hospital: The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is one of the international leaders for cancer treatment, prevention, research, education, and community outreach. It is the only comprehensive cancer center in the state to hold the Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. It also has full membership in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
• Saint Louis University Cancer Center: Established in 2002, the Cancer Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons through its Commission on Cancer (CoC) and the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). It combines the latest advances in research, prevention, and education with individualized care. Plus, as part of its academic medical practice, it offers patients access to clinical trials, where promising innovations in cancer treatment take shape.

Other prominent mesothelioma treatment centers in Missouri include the Center for Cancer Care and Research, the VA Medical Center in Togus (Mesothelioma Treatment Section), and the Center for Cancer Care and Research, Clinical Research.

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer in Kansas City, contact the Throneberry Law Group. We have close professional relationships with many of the doctors at many of these facilities.