The Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation Professorship in Mesothelioma Research

January 2023

Summary of Dr. Marc de Perrot’s research progress

Mesothelioma remains associated with very poor outcomes, with most patients surviving less than a year after their diagnosis. Incidences of this devastating disease are on the
rise, with 600 new cases reported every year in Canada, a number that has doubled over the past two decades. With globally-leading expertise spanning Toronto General
Hospital and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, the team at UHN sees the majority of early stage mesothelioma patients from all across Canada. Through the Toronto Mesothelioma Program at UHN, patients have access to mesothelioma-specific surgical, radiation and medical oncology expertise under one roof, facilitating multidisciplinary treatment recommendations and access to clinical trials that are often not available in patients’ local cancer centres.

At the head of this groundbreaking research and care is
Dr. Marc de Perrot, Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation Professor in Mesothelioma Research. In addition to working as an expert surgeon, Dr. de Perrot leads the team’s translational research lab within the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories and performs world- leading clinical research. With dual expertise in the clinic and the lab, Dr. de Perrot and his team can capitalize on the benefits of both, using insights from the clinic to inform studies in the lab and vice versa.

Dr. de Perrot and his colleagues within the Toronto Mesothelioma Program – a team that includes other leading experts in mesothelioma such as Dr. John Cho, radiation oncologist – are working to change the
devastating toll of mesothelioma, developing new treatments so that patients can live longer, healthier lives.