{"id":904,"date":"2020-04-17T13:56:28","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T17:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?page_id=904"},"modified":"2025-12-23T15:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T20:21:02","slug":"west-los-angeles-va","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/cancer-centers\/west-los-angeles-va\/","title":{"rendered":"West Los Angeles VA"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>About the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center<\/h2>\n<p>The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center is a top treatment center for military <a href=\"\/veterans\/\">veterans with mesothelioma<\/a>. U.S. veterans with health care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can come here to get treated for pleural mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<p>The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center is part of the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System (VAGLAHS). As one of the VA\u2019s largest medical facilities, VAGLAHS serves more than 1.4 million veterans in Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here are some things to know about the West Los Angeles VA:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The mesothelioma program is run by Dr. Robert Cameron, creator of a crucial lung-sparing mesothelioma surgery called <a href=\"\/treatment\/surgery\/pleurectomy-decortication\/\">pleurectomy with decortication (P\/D)<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Mesothelioma patients typically receive multimodal treatment that includes long-term maintenance to minimize recurrence (when cancer returns).<\/li>\n<li>Treatments include surgery, immunotherapy, cryotherapy (freeze therapy), chemotherapy, radiation, and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Any veteran with <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/\">mesothelioma<\/a> can receive treatment here if they have VA health care. You do not need to live in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n<p>Use our <strong>Free Doctor Match<\/strong> now for help finding the best mesothelioma specialist for you and your family.<\/p>\n<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>\n<h3>U.S. Military Veterans and Mesothelioma<\/h3>\n<p>The VA has invested in offering some of the best <a href=\"\/treatment\/states\/california\/\">California mesothelioma treatments<\/a> at the West Los Angeles VA. This is because one-third of mesothelioma patients are veterans.<\/p>\n<p>A comprehensive and highly specialized mesothelioma treatment program within the <a href=\"\/veterans\/va-benefits\/va-healthcare\/\">VA health care system<\/a> gives veterans with mesothelioma access to high-quality, affordable health care.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just happy every morning. It\u2019s a great feeling to know that, hey, I&#8217;m still kicking around.&#8221;<br \/>\n\u2013 Phillip, 10+ year mesothelioma survivor treated at West Los Angeles VA<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While not all veterans get mesothelioma treatment through the VA, the option to do so is a major advantage for many.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"specialists\">Mesothelioma Specialists at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center<\/h2>\n<p>Patients treated at the West Los Angeles VA have the advantage of access to <a href=\"\/treatment\/doctors\/dr-robert-cameron\/\">Dr. Robert B. Cameron<\/a>, one of the top mesothelioma specialists treating military veterans at VA hospitals. He is the head of the Mesothelioma Program at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Cameron has been treating <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/pleural\/\">pleural mesothelioma<\/a> patients for over 20 years and <strong>developed the P\/D surgery<\/strong> to treat patients without removing a lung. This allows patients to recover faster than if a lung was removed and comes with a lower risk of complications. <strong>He&#8217;s performed this surgery hundreds of times<\/strong> on mesothelioma patients.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blockquote-w-image \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Robert-B-Cameron-MD-300x300-1.png\" alt=\"\" \/><blockquote><p>\u201cIn the past, surgeons removed the entire lung and some surgeons still do. But it\u2019s a surgery that\u2019s more difficult to recover from. We\u2019ve learned 30 years ago that it wasn\u2019t necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<footer>&ndash;<cite> Dr. Robert Cameron, mesothelioma specialist<\/cite><\/footer><\/blockquote><style type=\"text\/css\">.blockquote-w-image{position:relative;margin:40px auto}.blockquote-w-image blockquote{background:none;border-left:none;padding:25px;margin-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.blockquote-w-image blockquote footer cite{font-size:inherit}.blockquote-w-image blockquote p{margin-bottom:0}.blockquote-w-image img{width:100px;border:none;border-radius:100%;box-shadow:none;position:relative;margin:0 auto}.blockquote-w-image.alternative{margin:60px auto}.blockquote-w-image.alternative blockquote{padding:25px 25px 25px 80px;padding-bottom:25px;background-color:#E4F4F6}.blockquote-w-image.alternative img{position:absolute;left:20px;top:25px;z-index:1;width:50px;border:1px solid #fff;box-shadow:0 0 10px rgba(34,34,34,0.2);border-radius:100%}.blockquote-w-image.with-border{background:none;border-left:4px solid #0FAEBF}.blockquote-w-image.with-border blockquote{background:none;border-radius:0;padding:10px 25px}.blockquote-w-image.with-border blockquote footer cite{font-size:inherit}.blockquote-w-image blockquote:before{display:none}@media screen and (min-width: 769px){.blockquote-w-image img{position:absolute;left:0;top:0}.blockquote-w-image blockquote{padding:0 25px 0 125px;min-height:90px}}@media screen and (min-width: 1024px){.blockquote-w-image.alternative blockquote{padding-left:105px}.blockquote-w-image.alternative blockquote footer cite{font-size:16px}.entry-content .blockquote-w-image.alternative img{width:60px;left:25px}}<\/style><\/div>\n<p>In addition, Dr. Cameron has written or co-authored more than 35 peer-reviewed papers in oncology, thoracic surgery, and other related subjects, making him an authority in mesothelioma treatment and research.<\/p>\n<p>Download our <strong>Free Questions to Ask Your Doctor Checklist<\/strong> to get the answers you need when meeting with a specialist.<\/p>\n<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>\n<h2 id=\"treatment\">Mesothelioma Treatment at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center<\/h2>\n<p>The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center can use a variety of <a href=\"\/treatment\/\">mesothelioma treatments<\/a> to help patients live longer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mesothelioma treatments used at the West Los Angeles VA include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pleurectomy with decortication (P\/D):<\/strong> In this lung-sparing surgery, the lung&#8217;s lining is removed to eliminate tumors. This allows doctors to remove as much cancer as possible while keeping the patient&#8217;s lungs intact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chemotherapy:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/treatment\/chemotherapy\/\">Chemotherapy<\/a> uses drugs to kill cancer cells by circulating them through the blood.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cryoablation:<\/strong> In cryoablation, the cancer is frozen with a gas pumped through a tiny needle called a cryoprobe. This freezing process kills the cancer cells.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Immunotherapy:<\/strong> With <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/\">immunotherapy<\/a>, a patient is given specialized drugs to stimulate the body\u2019s immune system so it can kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy shows the immune system how to recognize cancer cells and teaches the body how to fight them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT):<\/strong> In IMRT, a computer is used to control X-ray accelerators to give a high-level dosage of <a href=\"\/treatment\/radiation\/\">radiation<\/a> directly to the tumor while minimizing the damage to surrounding tissues.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT):<\/strong> SBRT, also known as radiosurgery, happens over a relatively short period (less than two weeks instead of 6-8 weeks like many other radiotherapies). Using the Novalis Tx image-guided system, the patient is given a concentrated dose of radiation via image-guided localization to kill the tumor without severely damaging the healthy organs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS):<\/strong> To see which cell type a patient has (which can impact treatment options), a surgeon will remove a small part of the diseased lung through 3 small incisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>West Los Angeles VA Medical Center can treat any mesothelioma cell type, including the typically hard-to-treat <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/cell-types\/sarcomatoid\/\">sarcomatoid mesothelioma<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, as part of the patient&#8217;s long-term support, they will be seen for follow-up visits every 3-6 months. They will receive regular CT scans so their medical team can catch the cancer&#8217;s return as early as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans get the highest-quality care possible thanks to these treatment options and support.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"getting-treatment\">Getting Mesothelioma Treatment at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center<\/h2>\n<p>Veterans seeking mesothelioma treatment at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center don&#8217;t need to worry if they live outside of California.<\/p>\n<p>The mesothelioma program accepts veterans from across the country due to the specialized nature of the disease. However, veterans need to be enrolled in the VA health care system, which doesn&#8217;t always happen automatically.<\/p>\n<p>To receive help through this process, contact our Patient Advocates at <strong><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><\/strong>. They can answer your questions and work with you to pursue VA benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center is a top treatment center for military veterans with mesothelioma. U.S. veterans with health care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can come here to get treated for pleural mesothelioma. The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":18166,"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-904","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/904","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=904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/904\/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\/18166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}