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The UCLA Department of Urology provides treatment for urological conditions of all kinds and is committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. We take great pride in being able to share a few of our patients' stories with you.
Testicular cancer primarily affects young adult men and, fortunately, is very treatable. In most cases, it is curable, but self-exam is key for early diagnosis. For baseball player, Connor Joe, cancer was discovered in 2020 during a physical exam while in Spring Training with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Following surgery at UCLA and chemotherapy, Connor is cancer-free and playing professional baseball. Watch Connor's Story >
Dr. Mark Litwin - Reporter Lance Orozco chronicles his journey with kidney cancer, for which he was treated in 2012 at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. NPR-affiliate KCLU aired a segment about his five-year checkup with Dr. Mark Litwin, chair of urology at UCLA. Listen to the story >
Healthy and Cancer-free Five Years After Receiving High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). Dwight Baird's prostate cancer had returned after he initially received external beam radiation treatment 22 years ago. He wasn't a candidate for further radiation or surgery to remove the prostate so his options were limited.
View Dwight's Story >
Bladder Cancer Surgery
Looking back Adam Schaffer now 50 years old and a proud bladder cancer survivor who was treated at UCLA, reflects on that fateful day five years ago when his then six-year old son kneed him in the groin on Thanksgiving Day.
View Adam's Story >
Robotic Kidney Surgery
Alex made history as the first pediatric patient to undergo a robotic partial nephrectomy at UCLA
“The first thing we thought was, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope this is not the C-word,’” says Angela Lomeli about her son, Alex, age 5. “That was the scary part.”
View Alex's Story >
Going the Extra Mile(s) for Effective Treatment
Unfortunately, cancer runs in Barbara Pytlewski’s family. Years ago, she and her brother learned they have Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition associated with a high risk of developing colon cancer, as well as an increased likelihood of urinary tract, uterine and liver cancers.
View Barbara's Story >
Minimally Invasive Robotic Prostate Surgery
Barry Broughton is a successful marketing executive who has traveled the world and faced a lifetime of challenges. But few challenges would be as difficult as the diagnosis he received last year of prostate cancer.
View Barry's Story >
Software Developed by UCLA Urologist Helps Men Avoid Decisions They Might Regret
Like many men diagnosed with prostate cancer, Bill Pickett faced a tough question when he came to UCLA for treatment: how to fight it? Prostate cancer is one of the more curable cancers — it has a 96 percent survival rate 15 years after diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society.
View Bill's Story >
Finding the Best Doctor for Robotic Surgery to Eliminate Prostate Cancer
While shooting on location in Australia, Carey Melcher sensed something was wrong. But the 55-year-old Los Angeles-based commercial producer is the first to admit that he responded the way many men in his situation do: by ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away.
View Carey's Story >
Bladder Reconstruction Helps Daniela Schirmer Regain Independence
Daniela Schirmer was home from college and having lunch in a restaurant with a friend when she slipped in the restroom and struck her head on the wall. The force of the impact broke the 22-year-old student’s neck. As a result of the accident, Daniela was left a quadriplegic, unable to use her legs and with limited use of her arms and hands.
View Daniela's Story >
Active Surveillance and Life Beyond Prostate Cancer: David Orthner’s Story on Living with the Enemy
David Orthner learned he might have cancer by a fluke. When sending his blood sample to the lab after a routine physical, Orthner’s doctor checked the box for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement, something not typically done until a patient turns 50.
View David's Story >
Teri Parcon was looking forward to the birth of her son, Dexter, when a routine prenatal ultrasound revealed some bad news: Her baby had end-stage renal disease, a condition resulting in severely limited kidney function and requiring either dialysis or transplantation to ensure survival. Dexter was transferred to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center under the care of Dr. Jennifer Singer, a UCLA pediatric urologist with expertise in treating patients with end-stage renal disease.
View Dexter and Charlie's Story >
Early Diagnosis makes all the difference for Prostate Cancer Survivor, Ed Evans
It was a routine, annual checkup for Ed Evans. His blood pressure and cholesterol levels were normal. Ed exercised regularly and watched his diet, so physically he was in great shape. Everything looked fine, until his blood work came back. The doctor explained that Ed’s PSA levels were dangerously high. That Spring afternoon in 2012, Ed learned that he had prostate cancer.
View Ed's Story >
A Close Call: Under Surveillance for Prostate Cancer - Dr. Leonard Marks Patient Story
Eddie Carrillo experienced no symptoms that might have alerted him to his elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. But at a routine physical, Carrillo learned that his PSA was an alarming 4.5; normal is 1.0. Carrillo’s doctor told him it was likely he had prostate cancer, and that his prostate would have to be removed to prevent the cancer from spreading.
View Eddie's Story >
Testicular Cancer Surgery and How to Check for Testicular Cancer
Testicular Cancer Awareness featuring Mark S. Litwin, M.D., M.PH., Chief of Urology at UCLA, and Testicular Cancer Survivor, Jonathan Sommers, speak to Fox 11 News about testicular cancer symptoms and how to check for testicular cancer.
View Jonathan's Story >
Neo-bladder Surgery
Just days before his 59th birthday, John Hottinger found specs of blood in his urine. Since he worked for an insurance agency, he asked a friend at work to book him in with an internist. After the tests, he received the phone call from the doctor who told him to come in and bring his wife.
View John's Story >
Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer
While PSA testing to screen for prostate cancer has led to more detection, the concept of “active surveillance” is gaining traction as a means to reduce overtreatment of the disease.
View Ken's Story >
Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy
KCLU News -- For more than a decade, KCLU’s Lance Orozco has been bringing us stories about the news, and the events in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. You might have noticed he hasn’t been on the air for the last few weeks. Today, he returns with a very personal story about a fight he’s been facing for the last few months…his struggle with kidney cancer.
View Lance's Story >
Neo-bladder Surgery
Mark Felling is an aerospace engineer and an avid backpacker. He is healthy, never smoked, works out regularly, but within a week that all changed in July 2008.
View Mark's Story >
Neuromodulation Therapy at UCLA
What It’s Like to Have to Pee 40 Times a Day. From the time the alarm went off to walking out the door in the morning, I would be in and out of the bathroom five to ten times. I have overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) paired with a smaller than normal bladder capacity, which is thought to be due to a congenital birth defect. For me, this means that I have to urinate, a lot, sometimes more than 30 to 40 times a day.
View Michelle's Story >
Bladder Reconstruction: Radical Cystectomy
Two summers ago just before a trip back to her native country South Africa, Sally Dansey, 57, noticed blood in her urine and she suffered from painful urination.
View Sally's Story >
Meet Our Doctors >
The Department of Urology at UCLA is one of the most progressive and comprehensive urology programs in the country. Our faculty members work side by side with research scientists for new cures and treatments for prostate cancer.
