Overview
The Genitourinary Cancer Program at the Westchester Medical Center Cancer Center seeks to provide a personalized, multidisciplinary approach to treating Genitourinary Malignancies.
Our team includes board certified specialists in Urology, Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Radiology, and Pathology. Our team of experts works collaboratively with our patients to create an integrated treatment plan that may incorporate robotic and minimally invasive surgery, radiation, molecularly targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or clinical trials.
Genitourinary Cancer We Treat
Providers offer treatment for a range of genitourinary cancers, including:
- Prostate Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
- Adrenal Cancer
For treatment information, select the Urologic Surgery or Oncology, Tumor Board and Trials tab above.
Urologic Surgery
Robotic surgery
Westchester Medical Center has a 20-year experience in robotic surgery having been the first hospital to use one of the most popular robotic surgical systems in the world. We have been using robot-assisted surgery for urologic procedures as a standard of care to improve results, enhance safety, and expedite recovery. Through the use of this technology, we have greatly reduced and in some cases eliminated blood transfusion requirements.
Intravesical therapy for BCG failure
Most patients with bladder cancer have low or early stage disease and do not require radical surgery. However, many patients require office treatments including use of the BCG vaccine which has saved lives (and bladders), but is now difficult to obtain. Furthermore, some patients who do not respond to BCG have few other options. Our urology group offers innovative options for these patients, including other therapies such as sequential gemcitabine/docetaxel and GemRIS, a pretzel-shaped device that uses mitomycin to kill bladder cancer cells.
Adrenalectomy for metabolically active tumors
Our faculty are experts in the work up and surgery of metabolically active tumors of the adrenal gland. Although rare, patients with these tumors may experience severe electrolyte abnormalities or problems controlling their blood pressure. Minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopic adrenalectomy, may offer a surgical method to cure a patient of the illnesses and symptoms caused by adrenal tumors.
Cystectomy and neobladder construction
For patients who require surgical removal of the bladder because of high risk bladder cancer, there must be a method to evacuate urine on a daily or even hourly basis. Instead of being relegated to a bag or urostomy appliance, our surgeons are experts at bladder reconstruction or neobladder formation whereby excess loops of healthy small bowel are used to create an internal reservoir that can function as a bladder so that patients may eliminate urine without the need of a bag, stoma, or catheters. The WMC group has also pioneered such surgeries robotically so that the bladder removal and neobladder construction can be performed internally without even making an incision.
Nerve-Sparing Prostate Surgery
Prostate surgery is intended to cure a patient of prostate cancer, but there are some risks including loss of erection (i.e. impotency) and incontinence. WMC urologists began using a robotic surgery platform as early as 2003 and have the longest experience in robotics than any other practitioners in New York State. Nerve-Sparing Prostate Surgery allows our surgeons to use the magnification of the robotic platform to preserve the nerves near the prostate necessary for normal erections, greatly maintaining patients’ quality of life after recovering from surgery.
Retroperitoneal Nephron-Sparing Surgery
Most cases of kidney cancer are found at an early stage, or stage I, where tumors are generally small. Surgery without completely removing the kidney may be an option. This procedure, known as nephron-sparing surgery or partial nephrectomy, has become the preferred method of curing a patient of the small renal mass while also maintaining kidney function. The procedure is done almost wholly through laparoscopic or robotic-surgical methods, greatly improving the recovery time, wound healing, appearance, and cancer-free rates.
Radiation Oncology
Our radiation oncologists with sub-specialty expertise in genitourinary oncology offer external beam radiation therapy and both high and low dose rate brachytherapy. We are leaders in utilization of genomic testing to guide treatment decisions tailored to individual patients. Multiple strategies are used to minimize treatment side effects, including use of volume-modulated arc therapy with fiducial marker target localization, cone beam CT, and SpaceOAR for rectal dose shielding.
Medical Oncology
Our Medical Oncology experts are experienced in treating patients with a wide array of systemic therapies including chemotherapy, vaccines, antibody drug conjugates, molecularly targeted therapy, and immune therapy. Our physicians helped pioneer the current approved therapies in multiple genitourinary malignancies and have significant experience in administering these therapies to our patients.
Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Tumor Board
Our Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Tumor Board Meets weekly to discuss each individual patient and determine an integrated treatment plan. Thus, while a patient may only see a few doctors, their care plan will include the cumulative expertise of a much larger group of experts.
Clinical Trials
We are actively participating in clinical trials which provide access to the next generation of novel therapies. Our menu of clinical trials includes vaccines, molecularly targeted therapies, and novel immune therapies.
Contact and Locations
Urologic Surgery
19 Bradhurst Avenue
Suite 1900S
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.347.1900
Directions via Google Maps
Radiation Oncology
100 Woods Road
Valhalla, NY 10595
914.493.8561
Fax: 914.493.8352
Directions via Google Maps
Medical Oncology
19 Bradhurst Avenue
Suite 2100N
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.493.8375
Directions via Google Maps