Urologic Cancer Programs

Compassionate & Personalized Care

Our urologists work closely with all of the clinicians on each patient's treatment team, a comprehensive and highly coordinated approach managed through the world-renowned Mass General Cancer Center.

Depending on your illness and diagnosis, your treatment team includes your urologist along with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists and pathologists. You also have access to the wide variety of resources and support services available through the Cancer Center.

What to Expect

Whether your first appointment is in our office in the Department of Urology or in the Cancer Center, please bring any existing medical records and test results (if applicable), including X-rays. Once your medical records are entered into our system, your up-to-date diagnostic and medical information will be accessible to your primary care physician and all of the physicians on your team.

Mass General's Claire & John Bertucci Center for Genitourinary Cancers is one of the largest and most experienced centers in New England for the treatment of genitourinary cancers. Our urologists work together with your entire clinical team to develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. When surgical care is recommended, your urologist will explain the procedure in detail and answer all of your questions.

Whether your procedure is performed on an outpatient basis or requires a hospital stay, you can be assured our urologists and nurses will provide exceptional and compassionate postoperative care.

Leading-Edge Cancer Research

Both the Department of Urology and the Cancer Center are ranked consistently as top programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report. One of the main reasons why is our dedication to basic science and clinical research—and translating our discoveries into innovations that improve clinical care and patient outcomes.

We have a rich and enduring history of breaking new ground in treating genitourinary cancers.

• In the 1980s our physicians developed an organ-sparing protocol that helps more patients with bladder cancer retain their naturally functioning bladder
• In 2001 one of our physicians introduced laparoscopic nephrectomy (minimally invasive removal of the kidney) to Mass General, making our program one of the first in the country to offer this therapy

Our research focuses on developing new methods to detect and treat prostate cancer and other genitourinary diseases. Funding for our research is provided by the National Institutes of Health and organizations such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

Clinical Trials

For patients who do not respond to conventional treatments, clinical trials can offer a promising (albeit investigative) treatment option. Browse for open trials.

Specializing in Genitourinary Cancer Treatment

Managing care for thousands of patients with genitourinary cancers every year, Mass General offers one of the most trusted and capable surgical cancer-treatment teams in the Northeast.

We treat cancers and tumors of the:

• Prostate
• Bladder
• Kidneys
• Testes
• Penis
• Urethra

Excellence in Surgical Care

Our urologists have focused their careers on helping patients with cancers of the urinary tract (men and women) and the reproductive tract (men). Many of our physicians have dedicated their clinical practice, research activities and advanced training to specializing in a single type of genitourinary cancer.

Several times weekly, our urologists participate in the multidisciplinary clinic in the Claire and John Bertucci Center for Genitourinary Cancers. Here, they evaluate and treat patients in collaboration with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and other physicians.

Additionally, our urologists meet regularly at the Bertucci Center with this diverse group of colleagues, all of whom specialize in genitourinary cancers. During these conferences, we discuss clinical applications and observations, scientific findings and clinical trials information that helps save and improve the quality of patients' lives. This exceptional degree of specialization ensures patients receive outstanding care from urologists who are experts in treating genitourinary cancers.

Leadership in Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapies

Our urologists have developed or been among the first to practice many of today's minimally invasive surgical techniques. Whenever possible, we first try to treat patients with these procedures, which typically enable patients to recover more quickly.

Some of the minimally invasive surgical procedures we perform are:

• Laparoscopic nephrectomy: This advanced procedure enables removal of a kidney with a miniature telescopic instrument
• Laparoscopic prostatectomy: A miniature telescopic instrument is used to remove the entire cancerous prostate tissue
• Robotic surgery: This advanced technology, often used for prostatectomy surgery, requires only a few small incisions
• Radiofrequency ablation: Radiofrequency waves are directed through a needle to destroy the tumor
• Laser ablation: A laser beam is used to destroy the tumor

Learn more about minimally invasive and robotic surgery in the Department of Urology.