The 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU) brought together members of the cancer care and research community to share new, innovative findings in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of GU malignancies. This year, ASCO GU was held in a hybrid format, taking place live in San Francisco from February 16-18, as well as virtually online. A number of members of the Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Genitourinary (GU) Oncology Program presented or were involved with new research findings shared at the conference, as well as trial-in-progress updates for some ..read more

The bladder is an organ in the lower pelvis responsible for storing urine. When cells in the bladder start to grow out of control, they can form tumors leading to bladder cancer. Urothelial cancer is the most common form of bladder cancer and impacts around 80,000 people per year. This form of bladder cancer starts in the urothelial cells that line the inside of the bladder. Urothelial cancer may also occur in other areas of the urinary lining such as the inside of the kidneys (renal pelvis) and the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder (ureters) The Weill Cornell Medicine Genitourinary ..read more

Prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland start to grow out of control. These cancerous cells may remain in the prostate or metastasize and spread to other parts of the body such as the bones, lymph nodes, liver, or lungs.  Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a protein found on the surface of prostate cancer cells. PSMA-targeting can be used to locate, identify, or treat cancerous cells in both the prostate as well as cancerous cells that have metastasized in other organs. This targeting can involve attaching a radionuclide, a particle that gives ..read more

The Annual NYC Prostate Cancer Summit has been taking place virtually this year as a four-part webinar series for prostate cancer patients and loved ones. We are pleased to be able to come together online while the pandemic prevents us from gathering in-person. Each part of the FREE virtual series features different topics and speakers, and offers unprecedented access to some of the field’s foremost experts! We hope you’ll join us for this webinar series. Advances in therapeutics have led to improvements in both survival and quality of life for men with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer ..read more

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a protein concentrated on the surface of prostate cancer cells with limited expression on other locations in the body.  As covered previously on the blog, PSMA can be exploited for both imaging and treatment utilizing either large monoclonal antibodies or small molecule targeting agents.  PSMA-targeting entails attaching a radionuclide (a particle that gives off radiation) to an antibody or small molecule designed to recognize and bind to PSMA. Research into PSMA-targeting has led to promising investigational treatments and trans ..read more

In the medical world—and especially the genitourinary (GU) world – we’re pretty comfortable having candid conversations about what’s going on below the belt. After all, the “genito” half of our name refers to diseases of the genital organs. April is testicular cancer awareness month and there’s no need for the testes to be a taboo topic. Awareness is key to early detection, so here are 8 things you should know about testicular cancer: It can develop in one or both testicles. Our bodies aren’t always exactly symmetrical and the same can be said for cancer development. Just because cancer devel ..read more

We are proud to report another year of meaningful patient connections, exciting treatment developments and continued leadership in the field of genitourinary (GU) oncology. Check out our team’s 2019 highlights. NEW FACES Panagiotis “Panos” Vlachostergios, MD, PhD, has joined our team to grow GU oncology patient care and research at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. This is a significant step in our plan to bring our world-class expertise directly to patients who live in Brooklyn, minimizing their expenses and travel time to Manhattan. NEW EVENTS In addition to our digital ef ..read more

It has been an especially exciting time for our Genitourinary (GU) Oncology Program. Our team’s bladder (urothelial) cancer research recently made its way into two prestigious medical journals, with both studies highlighting erdafitinib – an oral inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) – as an encouraging therapeutic option for the disease. FGFR gene alterations are common in urothelial carcinoma and may be associated with low sensitivity to immunotherapy. In a phase II study of 99 adults with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma harboring FGFR gene alterations, Dr ..read more

By Francesca Khani, MD Some say that in medicine, healing begins with a diagnosis. Pathologists – physicians who work in a laboratory to examine samples of body tissue for diagnostic purposes – play a tremendously importantly role in determining a patient’s treatment plan, even though they usually do not directly interact with patients. Pathologists act behind the scenes, consulted by doctors in other specialties to render a diagnosis so that a patient’s disease can be managed appropriately. Armed with an accurate diagnosis, the treating physician can present the patient with the best therape ..read more

The Inaugural New York City Prostate Cancer Summit in 2018 granted us the ability to educate and empower nearly 250 prostate cancer patients, loved ones, healthcare professionals and community members with the latest updates in the field. Following the success of last year’s event, Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are joining forces again to host the 2nd Annual NYC Prostate Cancer Summit on Saturday, September 21, 2019.  The Summit will take place from 8AM – 2PM at the New York Academy of ..read more