Thousands of men and women are diagnosed each year with cancer of the prostate, bladder or kidney. New breakthroughs in cancer care, experimental treatment options, and ongoing research into the causes and potential cures of urologic malignancies spell new hope for patients from all walks of life.

World Class Care

Urologic Oncology is a Division of the David Geffen School of Medicine’s Department of Urology. Under the direction of Arie Belldegrun, M.D., the Division works closely with medical specialists and research scientists at the renowned Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center to deliver world class care and develop new treatments for prostate, kidney and bladder cancer patients.

..for Kidney Cancer

Over 32,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year. Although kidney cancer remains a challenging disease, exciting new breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating kidney cancer are being reported regularly. At UCLA, we believe that new advances will translate into curative therapy for more and more patients.

The UCLA Kidney Cancer Program is the largest in the world and is directed by two internationally recognized specialists in this field: Dr. Arie Belldegrun. The Center treats over 2,000 patients per year and offers both standard and experimental therapies.

Dr. Belldegrun leads a multidisciplinary team of specialists in:

• medical oncology
• urology
• cardiology
• nephrology
• endocrinology

Pioneering work completed at UCLA in the 1990s showed the efficacy of interleukin-2 and surgery in treating some kidney cancer patients. Innovative surgical treatments developed by Dr. Belldegrun have also shown to be promising in the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer. Current research is focused on the next generation of therapies that are molecular-based and targeted to cancer cells.

The UCLA kidney cancer program offers the most modern treatment options and is dedicated to the highest standard of patient care. In a single comprehensive office visit, patients are assessed by urologic surgeons that specialize in kidney cancer, by oncologists that specialize in the treatment of advanced kidney cancer, and by nurses that specialize in the care of kidney cancer patients. This team of specialists discusses each individual patient to determine a personalized treatment recommendation.

This approach promotes regular communication between team members and seamless integration of medical care. After the evaluation, our team of specialists recommends a treatment plan. Standard therapies are offered first. However, clinical research trials are available for patients who are not candidates for standard treatment or who do not respond to standard treatment.

For more information, please see "Kidney Cancer" under Conditions We Treat.

...for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in men and usually begins without symptoms. The chances of surviving prostate cancer are greatly improved with early detection and treatment. Prostate cancer is more common in African American men and in men with a father or brother with prostate cancer.

AT UCLA, we offer the latest and most advanced care for both early and late stage prostate cancer. Our faculty are fellowship trained in urologic oncology and have been consistently ranked among the top prostate cancer practitioners in the United States. For early stage, localized prostate cancer, we offer the entire gamut of procedures, including nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (RRP), robotically-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (rLRP), laparoscopic prostatectomy (LRP), brachytherapy and cryotherapy. We work closely with our radiation therapy colleagues to offer both low dose-rate and high dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy as well as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). We monitor our results closely with databases and quality of life studies in order to improve the quality of our care and in order to better inform patients about the risk and benefits of all treatments. Our overriding philosophy is that no one treatment is appropriate for all individuals and that treatments need to be tailored to the disease and to the individual's own values and goals.

Because of the extensive basic and translational research done at UCLA in prostate cancer, we are actively studying new forms of treatment for patients with high-risk, locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancers. These include studies of molecularly targeted small molecules and antibodies, the latest in drugs that are able to target the genetic changes in an individual's tumors while sparing normal tissues. We are also on the leading edge of studies of nutrition and alternative medicines for prostate cancer.

The Prostate Cancer Program at UCLA is a nationally acknowledged center of excellence which received the National Cancer Institute designation as a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in 2002—one of only 11 in the country.The Prostate Cancer Program includes internationally regarded researchers such as Robert Reiter, M.D.

Basic science research conducted by Robert Reiter, MD led to the discovery of Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA), a gene found more extensively in cancerous prostate cells than in normal prostate cells. Dr. Reiter's research is now focusing on the development of PSCA monoclonal antibodies to prevent tumors from growing or spreading to other parts of the body, and shows great promise in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

Another research project for prostate cancer treatment is based on the discovery by Charles Sawyers M.D. of the role a specific gene, PTEN, plays in blocking the growth of tumors. The study, which is in the clinical trials stage and is the only one of its kind in the world, is based on the use of an immunosuppressive drug approved for kidney transplant patients and may prove beneficial for high risk patients with localized prostate cancer.

The UCLA Prostate Cancer Index, developed by Mark Litwin, M.D., M.P.H., has become the gold standard worldwide in measuring outcomes and quality of life in prostate cancer survivors, and is now in use in over 200 studies throughout North America.

In 2001, the State of California acknowledged UCLA’s leadership in the fight against prostate cancer by awarding the Department of Urology $50 million to administer IMPACT, a statewide prostate cancer awareness and treatment program targeting uninsured men.

For more information, please see "Prostate Cancer" under Conditions We Treat.

...and Bladder Cancer

This year, doctors will diagnose 56,500 cases of bladder cancer, most of them in men. In all, more than 12,600 people will die from bladder cancer this year. Cigarette smokers are two to three times more likely than nonsmokers to develop the disease.

The UCLA faculty has also had a long-standing interest in the surgical management of bladder cancer. Major advances have been developed by faculty members over the years in urinary diversion and bladder reconstruction. Based on its standing as a major center for treatment of invasive bladder cancer, the National Cancer Institute is funding a five-year cancer-prevention research project at UCLA, making it the largest prevention study in the United States to focus on bladder cancer in current and former smokers.

For more information, please see "Bladder Cancer" under Conditions We Treat.

To find a UCLA physician specializing in prostate, kidney or bladder cancer, visit our faculty information page.