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• Adrenal Cancer

  Adrenal Cancer: Diagnosis

  If your healthcare provider thinks you might have adrenal cancer, you will need certain exams and tests to be sure. Diagnosing adrenal cancer starts with your healthcare provider asking you questions. He or she will ask you about your health history, your symptoms, risk factors, and family history of disease.
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• Bladder Cancer

  Bladder Cancer: Introduction

  The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower pelvis. The bladder wall is made up of many layers of cells. It has an outer layer of muscle cells, and an inner lining layer of other kinds of cells. Bladder cancer can affect any one or all of these cells. 
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• Kidney Cancer

  Kidney (Renal) Cancer: Introduction

  A kidney is made up of many layers of cells. Kidney cancer can affect any one or all of these layers. The cancer can stop the kidneys from working normally. Kidney cancer may spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it’s called metastasis. 
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• Prostate Cancer

  Prostate Cancer: Introduction

  Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men (not counting skin cancer) in the U.S. It tends to occur mainly in older men. In most cases prostate cancer is found before it has spread to other parts of the body. Cancer that hasn’t spread is easier to treat and cure.
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• Robotic Surgery-Bladder

  Bladder Cancer: Surgery

  Your healthcare provider will use the stage of your cancer to help decide the type of surgery you should have. There are several types of surgery for bladder cancer. The physical and emotional changes from your cancer surgery may be significant. Ask your healthcare team for resources that will help you and your family manage the physical effects of cancer treatment, and also the mental and emotional changes.
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• Robotic Surgery-Kidney

  Kidney Cancer: Surgery

  Surgery is the most common treatment for kidney cancer. The goal is to take out the tumor or tumors. You may have radiation or other treatment before or after surgery.
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• Robotic Surgery-Prostate Cancer

  Prostate Cancer: Surgery

  Prostate cancer surgery can be done for different reasons. Most often, surgery is a treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. In this case, the goal of the surgery is to remove all of the cancer.
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My clinical expertise includes urologic oncology and renal transplantation, performing open, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted surgeries for bladder, kidney, and prostate cancer patients.

Our laboratory studies the tumor microenvironment in prostate and bladder cancer using a combination of animal models, human reconstitution systems, and primary tumor and hematopoietic cells. We are interested in several aspects including the following:

1. Molecular mechanisms in programming tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The nature and composition of immune cells in cancer have been linked with tumor grade and overall survival. However, the determinants that lead to immune infiltrating cells in cancer is unclear. We are studying the endogenous signals, innate immune, and adaptive immune pathways that program the composition of the tumor immune microenvironment, and how these will influence tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. We are also interested in how we can reprogram the immune components of the tumor microenvironment to shape tumorigenicity.
2. Mechanisms controlling development and differentiation of cancer stem cells. Cancer initiating cells share similar features to stem cells with their ability for self-renewal and pluripotency. These cell populations may explain the recurrent nature and drug resistance of cancer. We are studying the cell intrinsic signals as well as the cell extrinsic influences from immune and stromal cells of the cancer stem cell in their differentiation, ability to undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and development of an invasive phenotype.

Our studies will provide fundamental understanding of the tumor microenvironment, as well as develop therapeutic targets, novel immune-based platforms, and stem cell based therapies against cancer.

• Robotic Radical Prostatectomy
• Robotic Radical Cystectomy
• Robotic Ureteral Reimplant
• Robotic Partial Nephrectomy
• Robotic Ureterolysis and Omental Wrap
• Robotic Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

• Super Doctors® Southern California Rising Stars 2018
• STOP Cancer Research Career Development Award 2010
• American Association of Cancer Research Career Development Award for Translational Cancer Research 2010

In the News

• "The Big Reason I Became a Scientist Is All the Unknowns."
• Robotic Radical Prostatectomy
• Robotic Radical Cystectomy
• Robotic Ureteral Reimplant
• Robotic Partial Nephrectomy
• Robotic Ureterolysis and Omental Wrap
• Robotic Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma