Diagnosis & Treatment
Screening & Diagnosis
We use tests to diagnose urologic cancers such as:
- Physical examination
- Blood and urine tests
- Imaging exams such as ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET/CT scanning
- Biopsy to remove a sample of tissue to analyze for cancer cells
- Cystoscopy to look inside the bladder
Our team of specialists provides information to help men understand the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening. Genetic counselors assess the family and personal medical history of patients who may have an increased cancer risk and can make recommendations about genetic testing.
Prostate Cancer Treatment
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. But not every man who learns he has prostate cancer needs treatment. We have refined our methods to determine whether you need diagnostic testing, treatment, or "active surveillance" with periodic monitoring of early-stage cancer to see if your tumor grows. This comprehensive approach ensures you receive appropriate prostate cancer care that meets your individual needs.
Minimally invasive prostate cancer surgery. Urologic surgeons perform the latest minimally invasive prostate cancer procedures, including robotic nerve-sparing prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) and robotic surgery to remove the prostate.
Localized prostate cancer treatments. Some patients benefit from cryosurgery (the application of freezing temperatures to kill cancer cells) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU, the use of high-energy sound waves to heat and destroy tumor cells).
Radiation therapy. We offer image-guided radiation therapy for prostate cancer, which aims radiation beams of different intensities from many different angles to precisely treat your tumor while sparing nearby healthy tissues and reducing the risk of side effects. Some patients can receive stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), in which pencil-thin beams of radiation are targeted to the prostate over just five treatment sessions. We also use SpaceOAR™ pretreatment gel spacer to minimize the gastrointestinal side effects of prostate cancer radiation therapy by increasing the distance between the rectum and the prostate.
Medical treatments. Some patients with prostate cancer need hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapies. You can receive intravenous treatments in our modern and comfortable Infusion Center. A medical oncologist will work closely with you to choose the medications that are best suited for the biology and stage of your tumor.
How We Treat Kidney Cancer
We customize your kidney cancer treatment to the biology and stage of your cancer.
Minimally invasive surgery. If you are a candidate for kidney cancer surgery, you will have either your entire kidney removed (radical nephrectomy) or just the part of it containing your tumor (partial nephrectomy). Urologic surgeons use minimally invasive kidney surgery techniques, including robotic partial nephrectomy, to remove the tumor while preserving as much of the affected kidney — and its function — as possible. Your surgeon will let you know what options are available to you. Some people with small kidney tumors can undergo regular surveillance monitoring instead of surgery or other treatments.
Focused therapies. Many people with kidney cancer benefit from "focal" therapies that are directed right to the tumor to kill cancer cells while sparing nearby healthy tissue. Some kidney cancers are treated using cryosurgery (freezing temperatures) or extreme heat (radioablation) applied through a needle into the tumor.
Medical treatments. Oral anticancer drugs are options for many patients with renal cell cancers. Immunotherapies are given in our Infusion Center. They harness the power of the immune system to find and destroy kidney cancer cells.
Care for Bladder Cancer
The wall of the bladder is made up of several layers of cells. Bladder cancer typically starts in the cells inside the lining of the bladder wall. Over time, the cancer may grow into the bladder ("muscle-invasive bladder cancer") — and may spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body. Our team aims to preserve your bladder whenever possible while providing the most effective therapies.
Determining the best treatment. Our pathologists arrange testing for biomarkers and genetic analysis of specific features of your tumor, yielding information that can help your oncologist select targeted therapies for you.
Experience treating noninvasive bladder cancer. We can directly treat some superficial bladder cancers — the most common form of the disease — by giving anticancer agents directly into the bladder. With this "intravesical" therapy, we can closely monitor you to detect any recurrence as soon as it happens. Your team at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester (formerly Lawrence Hospital) includes urologic oncology faculty at Columbia University Medical Center who have done pioneering studies that have led to the discovery of new drugs to prevent such local recurrence.
Treating invasive bladder cancer. Choosing the most effective treatment for patients with invasive bladder cancer — which can be very aggressive and has a high risk of spreading — is a complex and individualized process which often requires a combination of treatments. Our team has a long track record of collaborating to treat patients with invasive bladder cancer. We offer our patients care tailored to their disease and, in many cases, we are able to preserve their bladders for some time — and in some instances, permanently.
Minimally invasive bladder cancer surgery. If you need a partial or radical cystectomy (surgery to remove part or all of your bladder), we can connect you with surgeons who have the expertise to perform this procedure in a minimally invasive manner — often using robotic surgery.
Complex bladder reconstruction. When the bladder cannot be saved, you'll have access to urologic surgeons who perform bladder reconstruction. To replace the bladder, they can create a "neobladder" (an internal bladder made from a portion of the intestine) or a "continent reservoir" (an internal bladder storage reservoir that can be drained by passing a small tube through an opening in the abdomen). Bladder reconstruction surgery is tailored to the needs of each patient.
Chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Our medical oncologists may recommend intravenous therapies (given by vein) for bladder cancer which can be given in our Infusion Center. We oversee every aspect of your care to ensure it is as effective and comfortable as possible.