| The Urologic Oncology Team provides comprehensive care for cancer of any organ of the urinary system and the male reproductive system. These include cancers of the bladder, kidney, prostate, and testis. Care ranges from screening at-risk individuals to treating those with advanced disease and providing access to clinical trials. In 2009, Stony Brook's Department of Urology was again ranked among the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report (August 5, 2009). Advanced surgical techniques include robot-assisted procedures using da Vinci™ Robot-Assisted Surgery. Rahuldev S. Bhalla, MD, a nationally recognized robotic surgeon, has developed the robotics program in urology and has performed more than 400 robot-assisted surgeries to date. He continues to investigate new techniques and instrumentation. Community education also is an important focus of the team. The outreach team provides approximately 1,300 men with free prostate screenings across Long Island, with a special focus on the high-risk groups in the African American and Hispanic communities. Surgery- Wayne Waltzer, MD, Team Leader and Chair, Department of Urology
- Howard L. Adler, MD, Director of the Prostate Care Program
- Rahuldev S. Bhalla, MD, Director of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Matthew Petersen, PA
- Melanie Dale, RN, Nurse Navigator
- Kathy Kelly Lyon, NP
- Jeanne Martin, NP
- Arlene Shaw, RN
Medical Hematology/OncologyPathologyRadiation OncologyRadiology Stony Brook offers a comprehensive range of diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up services for patients with urologic cancer, including expedited diagnosis and technologically advanced radiation, surgical, and systemic therapies. See Diagnostics, Treatments & Technologies for more information. - Leading-Edge Treatment for Bladder Cancer. Bladder cancer treatments include local surgical resection, bladder preservation using chemotherapy and radiation, and placement of chemotherapeutic agents into the bladder. Some patients may be candidates for creation of a new continent bladder made from the intestine that allows full restitution of urinary function. Robot-assisted surgery may also be an option for appropriate candidates who require removal of the bladder (cystectomy). During diagnostic cystoscopic surgeries, the team uses leading-edge optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology to help diagnose and stage bladder cancers earlier.
- New approaches to kidney cancer. For adult kidney cancer treatment, the team provides open and laparoscopic surgeries, including radical and partial nephrectomy. Patients with advanced disease can receive immunotherapy with cytokines, such as interleukin-2, and other agents. In addition, new oral agents such as sunitinib and sorafenib, that target vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, are available to patients with advanced disease. Patients with kidney insufficiency may have "nephron sparing" surgery (partial kidney removal) to preserve kidney function. For more information click here.
- Prostate Cancer Management Options. As a leader in the management of prostate cancer, Stony Brook offers robot-assisted, open, or laparoscopic surgery; radiation therapy with external beam and/or radiation seed implants; cryotherapy; hormonal therapy; and investigational therapies.
Our exceptional clinical support services contribute to coordinated care. These include Nutrition Services, Pain Management, Palliative Care/Survivorship & Support, Pharmacy Services, Physical and Occupational Rehabilitation, Therapeutic Yoga, and our Tumor Board. For more information, see Clinical Support Services. The Urologic Oncology Management Team participates in a number of clinical trials and basic research including investigating novel agents such as alefacept; optimizing treatment with new agents currently being used in clinical practice; identifying cancer markers in the urothelium; and investigating the role of environmental toxins, specifically diesel fuels, in bladder cancer. - Victor Romanov, PhD, and visiting scientist Galina F. Reshetnikova, MD, in collaboration with the Department of Pharmacology, are investigating the role of 3 NBA (a major toxic component of diesel exhaust) in carcinogenic transformation of bladder urothelium. They are looking at the role of metabolic enzymes activating 3 NBA, DNA damage, and formation of carcinogenic mutations induced by this carcinogen in neoplastic transformation of bladder urothelium. This study is supported by a research award.
- Dr. Romanov and Terry Whyard, MS, Research Associate, have studied the role of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in bone and lymph node metastasis and are investigating the role of PSA in metastatic cell motility, invasion, and proliferation, as well as the regulation of PSA secretion and activity by bone components.
- Wayne Waltzer, MD, and Dr. Romanov are co-investigators in aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) and its associated urothelial cell cancer, supported by a program project grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Target tissues for aristolochic acid (AA) are the renal cortex and urothelium of the upper urinary tract (renal pelvis and ureter). In humans, the effects of this nephrotoxin, when ingested orally, are manifested in so-called Balkan endemic nephropathy. Ureters are being used by Dr. Romanov to isolate and culture primary urothelial cells. Functional genomics (microarray and micro RNA) studies on these cultured cells are then performed following treatment of these cultures with AA. These studies have been reported at national and international meetings. Dr. Romanov also is involved in NIEHS PPG research designed to identify genes responsible for susceptibility to AAN. He and Tom Rosenquist, PhD, Department of Pharmacology, have developed a mouse model of AAN that mimics all aspects of the human disease. Using inbred strains of mice, they have identified quantitative trait loci conferring sensitivity to the toxin. This advance has enabled the demarcation of human genes responsible for AAN.
- Shenhong Wu, MD, PhD, is currently investigating the optimal and safe use of new agents, including bevacizumab, sorafenib, and sunitinib in kidney cancer, prostate cancer, and other cancers. Dr. Wu's studies have been published in national journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Lancet Oncology, and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and reported at major medical conferences.
Leading-edge Treatment for Bladder CancerBladder cancer treatments include local surgical resection and placement of chemotherapeutic agents into the bladder. Some patients may be candidates for creation of a new, continent bladder made from the intestine allowing full restitution of urinary function. Robotic surgery may also be an option for appropriate candidates who require removal of the bladder (cystectomy). During diagnostic cystoscopic surgeries, the team uses leading-edge Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technology to help diagnose and stage bladder cancers earlier. Additional Sources of Information AUDIO Everything You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer PRINT "Learn Important Facts About Prostate Cancer" Prostate Cancer Treatment Options |
