Dr. Anne Tsao

Dr. Anne Tsao has the distinction of being one of the best mesothelioma specialists in the United States. She’s credited with providing mesothelioma patients with new treatment opportunities that have done wonderful things for extending their life expectancy.

At the moment, the Houston-based Dr. Tsao works as MD Anderson Cancer Center’s director of mesothelioma and thoracic chemo-radiation programs. She is well respected by the medical community for the work she’s done with the treatment of an assortment of thoracic cancers such as pleural mesothelioma.

About Dr. Tsao

Medical School and Residency

Dr. Tsao attended MD University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed her educational requirements in 1998 before moving to the Indiana University School of Medicine in Internal Medicine for her residency which she completed by 2001. In 2004, she completed another residency at the University of Texas at Houston Medical Oncology.

Her Professorship

Her professorship took place at University of Texas Assistant Professor of Thoracic, Head, and Neck Medical Oncology.

Dr. Tsao’s Accomplishments

  • She’s MD Anderson’s Director of Mesothelioma Treatment
  • She’s an active member of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board
  • She’s involved with mesothelioma clinical research trials which are working to create novel treatments for the disease
  • She serves as MD Anderson’s principal investigator and currently oversees several clinical trials


Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Discover Your Options to Treat Mesothelioma

There are several forms of mesothelioma and there are several options to treat the disease. Find out the information you need to know about mesothelioma treatment plans.

Dr. Tsao’s Clinical Work

The very rareness of mesothelioma makes creating and researching potential new and effective treatment procedures difficult. Dr. Tsao has found that she’s been able to use her research on novel treatment methods to generate a personalized treatment program that patients really respond to.

During the course of her career, Dr. Tsao has worked closely with other mesothelioma specialists in the United States to help develop personalized mesothelioma treatments. One of her research programs, “Individualizing Mesothelioma Treatment: Small Steps Into a Brighter Future,” provided Dr. Tsao with an opportunity to voice her concerns about how personalized care will be impacted if the number of mesothelioma cases continues to rise in the upcoming decade.

Dr. Tsao tackled the issue of personalizing care in part because of the expected rise in mesothelioma cases in the next decade. The study analyzed medical procedures with respect to genetic factors that may relate to more individualized care.

Phase I Clinical Trials Combining Chemo and Novel Treatment

Right now, Dr. Tsao heads several clinical trials for mesothelioma patients. In 2013, she contributed to two studies that explored how systemic chemotherapy and novel drugs block signaling pathways, which in turn inhibits mesothelioma growth.

The two clinical trials used the chemotherapy drugs, Alimta, and Cisplatin while the novel drugs used were Imatinib and Cediranib. Patients exhibited little response to the Imatinib, but the reaction to Cediranib was positive.



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