{"id":885,"date":"2020-04-17T13:50:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T17:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?page_id=885"},"modified":"2025-12-17T17:16:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T22:16:40","slug":"boston-va","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/cancer-centers\/boston-va\/","title":{"rendered":"VA Boston Healthcare System"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 id=\"about\">About Boston VA<\/h2>\n<p>The Boston VA\u2019s mesothelioma treatment program rivals many of the nation\u2019s top private facilities for cutting-edge treatment and quality patient care. The major Boston VA medical centers are located in Jamaica Plain, Brockton, and West Roxbury.<\/p>\n<p>The VA Boston Healthcare System has consistently been rated as one of the nation&#8217;s best-funded and administered health facilities. It also has one of the finest <a href=\"\/cancer-centers\/\">mesothelioma treatment centers<\/a> worldwide. The Boston VA can help veterans with pleural mesothelioma (the most common type of this cancer). The VA conducts thoracic surgery, experimental research, and clinical trials to help cancer patients.<\/p>\n<p>The VABHS also works with leading cancer hospitals like <a href=\"\/cancer-centers\/brigham-womens-hospital\/\">Brigham &amp; Women\u2019s Hospital<\/a> and Dana-Farber\/Harvard Cancer Center (DF\/HCC).<\/p>\n<p>One of the main projects between cooperating partners is the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital. It links all information on developing treatment methods for <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/\">mesothelioma cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Find top doctors and cancer centers now with our\u00a0<strong>Free Mesothelioma Doctor Match<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><div id=\"25223\" class=\"one-off-25223 widget widget_oscar-vque one-off\" data-vqueid=\"25223\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-style=\"one-off\">.one-off-25223{margin:60px auto}.one-off-25223 a{box-shadow:0 4px 4px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.25);display:block;background:#e4f4f6;padding:20px 25px 200px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;position:relative;overflow:hidden;max-width:360px;margin:0 auto}.one-off-25223 a::before{background:#0FAEBF;border-radius:50% 50% 0 0;content:'';position:absolute;bottom:0;height:19%;width:135%;left:-60px;z-index:0}.one-off-25223 .vque-content,.one-off-25223 .image-wrap{z-index:1;position:relative}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap{width:100%;position:absolute;left:-10px;bottom:-15px}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap img{position:absolute;bottom:0;width:100%;max-width:unset;left:0}.one-off-25223 .heading{font-size:27px;line-height:33px;text-align:center;display:block;max-width:340px;margin:5px auto 25px}.one-off-25223 ul{list-style:none;margin:-10px auto 22px;text-align:left;font-size:16px;line-height:26px}.one-off-25223 ul li{margin:0 0 15px;position:relative;padding-left:35px}.one-off-25223 ul li::before{font-family:\"mesohope\"!important;speak:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-transform:none;line-height:1;content:\"\\e904\";background:#0FAEBF;width:21px;height:21px;display:block;position:absolute;left:0;top:4px;border-radius:50%;color:#fff;font-size:11px;text-align:center;line-height:21px}.one-off-25223 p{text-align:center}.one-off-25223 .button{padding:12px 16px;display:block}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.one-off-25223 a{max-width:620px;padding:30px 30px 35px;border-radius:0 0 4px 4px}.one-off-25223 a::before{border-radius:50%;height:155%;width:150%;right:-550px;left:unset;bottom:-295px}.one-off-25223 .heading{text-align:left;margin:2px 0 25px;max-width:unset;font-size:24px}.one-off-25223 ul{margin:-7px 0 30px;max-width:365px;line-height:23px}.one-off-25223 ul li::before{top:1px}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap{max-width:unset;position:absolute;right:-25px;bottom:-35px;margin:0 0 -2px;left:unset;width:380px}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap img{position:relative;bottom:0;left:0;width:380px}.one-off-25223 .button{display:inline-block;padding:14px 25px}.one-off-25223 p{text-align:left}}@media screen and (min-width:1150px){.one-off-25223 a{padding:30px}}<\/style><a href=\"\/get-matched\/\" title=\"Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor\" class=\"cte\" data-ce-category=\"In-Content Ads\" data-ce-label=\"Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor Ad\"><div>\r\n    <div class=\"vque-content\">\r\n        <strong class=\"heading\">Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor<\/strong>\r\n        <ul>\r\n            <li>Find top specialists near you<\/li>\r\n            <li>Seek compensation for travel & care<\/li>\r\n            <li>Get medical guidance<\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <p><strong class=\"button arrow\" title=\"Get Matched Now\">Get Matched Now<\/strong><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Doctors-ad.png\" alt=\"Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor\" class=\"lazyload\" ><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>U.S. Military Veterans and Mesothelioma<\/h2>\n<p>Pleural mesothelioma is a very rare but highly aggressive form of cancer. Approximately 3,000 new mesothelioma cases are diagnosed in the United States yearly.<\/p>\n<p>A disproportionate number of mesothelioma patients are <a href=\"\/veterans\/\">U.S. military veterans<\/a> \u2014 particularly Navy veterans. Hundreds of thousands of military veterans suffered asbestos exposure (the only known cause of this cancer) during their service.<\/p>\n<p>Asbestos was widely used in all military branches from the 1930s until the early 1980s, when the long-term health hazards from asbestos exposure became well-known.<\/p>\n<p>Asbestos was excellent for fireproofing and insulating military assets like <a href=\"\/veterans\/navy\/ships\/\">U.S. Navy ships<\/a>, planes, tanks, and bases.<\/p>\n<p>Many military veterans had daily exposure to very high amounts of asbestos dust during their duties. Chronic exposure increases the likelihood of <a href=\"\/asbestos\/\">asbestos fibers<\/a> being breathed in or swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>Because mesothelioma has a long <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/latency-period\/\">latency period<\/a> of 10-50 years, many veterans do not know they\u2019re ill until symptoms become severe. <strong>Roughly 1,000 veterans are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, eligible veterans can be treated for mesothelioma at world-class medical centers like the VA Boston Healthcare System.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"staff\">VA Boston Healthcare System Staff<\/h2>\n<p>Because the VA Boston Healthcare System is well-managed and funded, the center attracts some of the world\u2019s best talent.<\/p>\n<p>Leading doctors from around the globe have worked at VABHS, further enhancing its prestige and reputation for excellence.<\/p>\n<p>A prime example is top thoracic surgeon <a href=\"\/treatment\/doctors\/dr-avi-lebenthal\/\">Dr. Abraham \u201cAvi\u201d Lebenthal<\/a>, who built the national mesothelioma treatment program at the VAVHS West Roxbury campus (the only VA program of its kind on the East Coast). Dr. Lebenthal spent more than a decade as the program&#8217;s director before moving back to his native country of Israel in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>VA Boston Healthcare System patients continue to benefit from the best physicians, surgeons, and support staff dedicated to treating veterans with mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>VABHS staff consists of highly experienced:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<ul class='columns-2'>\n<li>General thoracic surgeons<\/li>\n<li>Surgery residents<\/li>\n<li>Nurse practitioners<\/li>\n<li>Physician assistants<\/li>\n<li>Pulmonologists<\/li>\n<li>Gastroenterologists<\/li>\n<li>Cardiologists<\/li>\n<li>Thoracic anesthesiologists<\/li>\n<li>Critical care interventionists<\/li>\n<li>Specialized nurses<\/li>\n<li>Respiratory care specialists<\/li>\n<li>Dedicated social workers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<p>Prepare for your next appointment with our <strong>Free Checklist of 14 Questions to Ask Your Doctor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\"><div data-vqueid=\"18575\" class=\"widget widget_oscar-vque outline image-left has-img\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-style=\"outline\">.widget_oscar-vque.outline{margin:60px auto;max-width:315px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline:first-child{margin-top:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a{border:1px solid #E6E7EC;padding:20px;box-shadow:0 20px 20px rgba(34,34,34,0.03);border-radius:10px;color:#383441;display:block;text-decoration:none}.widget_oscar-vque.outline img{margin:0 auto 20px;max-width:180px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline .vque-content{color:#383441;font-size:16px;text-align:center}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.subheading{color:#100134;display:block;line-height:1;font-size:14px;margin-bottom:5px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.heading{color:#100134;font-size:20px;display:block;margin:0 0 20px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul{font-size:16px;text-align:left;list-style:none;max-width:265px;margin:15px auto 25px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul li{padding-left:28px;margin-bottom:10px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul li:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul li:before{font-family:\"mesohope\" !important;font-display:swap;speak:none;color:#fff;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-transform:none;line-height:1;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;content:\"\\e904\";border:none;position:absolute;left:0;top:3px;background:#0FAEBF;width:20px;height:20px;border-radius:20px;line-height:20px;text-align:center;font-size:12px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.button.arrow{width:100%}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a{position:relative;border-radius:0 10px 10px 0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a:before{content:\" \";position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;width:4px;height:100%;left:0;background:linear-gradient(180deg, #0FAEBF 0%, #fff 100%)}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.widget_oscar-vque.outline{max-width:620px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline img{max-width:100%}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a{padding:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a>div{display:block;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:flex-end;flex-direction:row-reverse}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a>div>div{width:41%}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a .vque-content{width:59%;padding:30px;text-align:left}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.subheading{font-size:16px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.heading{font-size:24px;margin:0 0 13px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul{max-width:none}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.button.arrow{width:auto}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div{display:block;position:relative;overflow:hidden}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div>div{float:left}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div>div:first-child{width:27%;padding:30px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div>div.vque-content{width:73%;padding-left:0;color:#383441}}<\/style><a href=\"\/doctor-questions\/\" title=\"Free Download: 14 Questions to Ask\u00a0Your Doctor\" class=\"cte\" data-ce-category=\"In-Content Ads\" data-ce-label=\"Free Download: 14 Questions to Ask\u00a0Your Doctor Ad\" data-desktop-image=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/questions-to-ask-doctor-ipad.png\"><div><div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"95\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/questions-to-ask-doctor-ipad.png\" class=\"attachment-Medium size-Medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"14 Questions to Ask Your Doctor packet\" \/><\/div><div class=\"vque-content\"><strong class=\"heading\">Free Download: 14 Questions to Ask\u00a0Your Doctor<\/strong><ul>\n<li>Preparing for treatment<\/li>\n<li>Finding clinical trials<\/li>\n<li>Getting a second opinion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong class=\"button yellow arrow\" title=\"Get Your Free Download\">Get Your Free Download<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"multimodal\">The Boston VA Mesothelioma Treatment Approach<\/h2>\n<p>Patients admitted to the VA Boston Healthcare System are initially classified by their mesothelioma diagnosis, including disease stage. This allows staff to develop the right treatment program for an individual patient quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Following this classification, <a href=\"\/treatment\/\">mesothelioma treatment<\/a> usually takes a multimodal approach.<\/p>\n<p>A multimodal treatment approach involves multiple medical interventions rather than one specific treatment type.<\/p>\n<p>The experienced staff realizes that each patient&#8217;s case is unique. What works for one patient may not apply to another despite having the same type of mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A multimodal approach at VABHS may include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Surgery:<\/strong> Common mesothelioma surgeries used include the extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), where the entire diseased lung is removed, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/treatment\/surgery\/pleurectomy-decortication\/\">pleurectomy with decortication<\/a> (P\/D), where the cancerous lung lining (pleura) is removed but the patient keeps both of their lungs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Radiation:<\/strong> Directly exposing mesothelioma cells to radiation is effective for isolated tumors, which can be stopped without invasive surgery. Radiation is often used in cases of early-stage mesothelioma. It\u2019s also effective when used alongside chemotherapy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chemotherapy:<\/strong> Chemotherapy is effective for cases of early-stage mesothelioma. This treatment can also be combined with radiation and surgery to help patients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Learn more about top treatments for mesothelioma and how to access them by calling <a href=\"tel:+18666088933\" title=\"Click to call (866) 608-8933\" class=\"in-content-tel-link\" data-ce-category=\"Click to Call\" data-ce-label=\"(866) 608-8933\">(866) 608-8933<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"treatment\">Seeking Mesothelioma Treatment at Boston VA<\/h2>\n<p>Admission to the VA Boston Healthcare System is open to eligible United States military veterans enrolled in the VA\u2019s health care program. Veterans will likely need to apply for <a href=\"\/veterans\/va-benefits\/\">VA benefits<\/a> to get treatment at this facility if they haven&#8217;t done so already.<\/p>\n<p>Although the medical centers are in Boston and primarily intended to serve the New England area, veterans worldwide can get treatment here.<\/p>\n<p>Financial assistance for patients and their families \u2014 including travel and lodging \u2014 is available through the VA or partnering private support networks.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on how to receive mesothelioma treatment through the VA or another medical center, <a href=\"\/about\/contact\/\">contact our VA-accredited Claims Agents<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About Boston VA The Boston VA\u2019s mesothelioma treatment program rivals many of the nation\u2019s top private facilities for cutting-edge treatment and quality patient care. The major Boston VA medical centers are located in Jamaica Plain, Brockton, and West Roxbury. The VA Boston Healthcare System has consistently been rated as one of the nation&#8217;s best-funded and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":19292,"parent":153,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-medical-facility.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-885","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/885\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}