Mesothelioma Treatment
Recommended Topics
Mesothelioma Trust Funds

Over 30 Billion dollars in trust fund money has been set aside for asbestos victims.

Mesothelioma Support Books

Get a Free copy of Surviving Mesothelioma, Lean on Me, or 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma

Free Veterans Assistance

Mesolink.org now offeres Free Assistance with VA Claims and other benefits.

Dr. Hedy Lee Kindler

Contact Information

One of the most difficult diagnoses most people will ever have to hear is that of mesothelioma, whether it is made for them personally or for a loved one. Not too many years ago, few medical practitioners knew how to treat this disease. However, over the past three decades, there have been many who have chosen to specialize in mesothelioma, despite the fact that it is rare when compared to most other types of cancer.

Some of these are doctors, such as oncologists, thoracic surgeons, and radiologists, who regularly see patients. Others are involved in the field of research and study the disease, often at the molecular level, to determine which treatments are most effective. Still others focus on aspects of treatment such as nutrition.

One physician who has chosen to make a study of mesothelioma is Dr. Hedy Lee Kindler. Her interest in mesothelioma was heightened by the loss of her own father to the disease. She has received a great deal of recognition for her treatment and research into mesothelioma, as well as into gastrointestinal cancer.

Dr. Kindler received her medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and performed both her internship and residency at the UCLA Medical Center. Her fellowship was completed at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Board-certified in both oncology and internal medicine, Dr. Kindler has a clinical interest in colon and pancreatic cancer as well as in mesothelioma, and her sub-specialty is hematology. In her research, she seeks out new treatments, especially drugs that are beneficial to mesothelioma patients. She has participated in many research projects, including serving as the chair of the mesothelioma committee for the Cancer and Leukemia Group B. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the International Mesothelioma Interest Group.

Dr. Kindler is widely published, with more than 60 articles in such journals as the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and the Annals of Oncology. Among her papers are “Current State and Future Directions of Pleural Mesothelioma Imaging,” “Erlotinib plus Bevacizumab in Previously Treated Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma,” “Variability in Mesothelioma Tumor Response Classification,” “Protein Kinase C Beta in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma,” and “Systemic Treatments for Mesothelioma: Standard and Novel.” She serves on the editorial board for BioOncology Watch and as a reviewer for several different medical journals. She is also frequently requested to address various medical conferences nationwide and makes many speaking appearances.

Appearing on several different "Top Doctors" lists, including "Who's Who in Medical Sciences Education" and "America's Top Doctors for Cancer," Dr. Kindler has also received the Mimi Ashton/ALCASE Award for Outstanding Patient Care due to her work with those afflicted with thoracic and gastrointestinal cancers. In addition to mesothelioma, Dr. Kindler's interests include pleural neoplasms (a form of lung cancer) as well as colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver and pancreatic tumors.

Dr. Kindler is the Director of the Mesothelioma Program at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, as well as the Medical Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology and an Associate Professor of Medicine.