Prof. Arthur Sagalowsky: cytoreductive nephrectomy is still important for advanced/metastatic renal cell cancer but many still need to be proved
The 2016 American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting was held grandly in the San Diego Convention Center, USA from May 6th to May 10th. During the annual meeting, many news researches were shared and discussed. This time, the Editorial Office of Translational Andrology and Urology (TAU) was honored to invite Prof. Arthur Sagalowsky (Figure 1), from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, to have an interview with us.
In the interview, Prof. Sagalowsky introduced to us the current morbidity of bladder cancer in USA and also its changes compared to the last few years. Meanwhile, as an expert in the translational study of bladder cancer, Prof. Sagalowsky as well shared with us his idea on the translational study in bladder cancer and some of the progress of his recent research.
As for the topic in AUA—“Cytoreductive nephrectomy is still important for advanced/metastatic renal cell cancer”, Prof. Sagalowsky in deeply told us his perspective and also indicated his optimistism on the therapy study in the future.
Apart from the precious sharing in urology, Prof. Sagalowsky also told us his early experience as an urologist. When mentioning his daily teaching to his students, Prof. Sagalowsky gave an impressive reply—you must not simply become a proceduralist, instead you must remain in heart a doctor (Figure 2)!
Interview questions
- You have joined a session about the Bladder Cancer: Epidemiology & Evaluation and we know that you’re also an expert on bladder cancer and interested in the translational studies of bladder cancer, would you like to tell us the current morbidity of bladder cancer in USA? What’s the change compared to the last 10 years?
- Would you as well share with us some of your recent interesting or significant finding about the translational studies of bladder cancer?
- Also in the previous session on controversies in urology, about the topic on “Cytoreductive nephrectomy is still important for advanced/metastatic renal cell cancer”, other specialists have made great debates about it. Here would you like to share with us your idea on it?
- You’re quite an expert in the urology field. So we’re quite interested in your early experience as an urologist. Would you like to share with us some interesting/encouraging stories when you’re an urologist at early stage? What encourage you to be who you are now?
- What would you do if you were not an urologist? What would be your advice to our young generation?
Expert introduction
Arthur Sagalowsky, M.D., is a Professor of Urology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, with joint appointments in the Departments of Urology and Surgery. He is the holder of the Paul C. Peters Chair in Urology in Memory of Rumsey and Louis Strickland.
Prof. Sagalowsky specializes in all aspects of urological malignancies and related urinary tract reconstruction. He has unique surgical experience with: radical cystectomy and continent urinary diversion with orthotopic neobladders and cutaneous reservoirs; open nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy, and, in select cases, nerve-sparing cystoprostatectomy for patients with prostate cancer or bladder cancer; complex partial nephrectomy for patients with large localized kidney tumors where preservation of renal function by nephron sparing surgery is important; radical nephrectomy for large kidney tumor debulking; and resection of tumors with tumor thrombus into the vena cava (and even into the heart); debulking retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testis cancer.
His research interests involve translational studies on bladder cancer and kidney cancer involving clinical diagnosis and treatment, and translational studies on molecular pathways as predictors of disease behavior and risk for recurrence, progression, response to treatment and disease-related mortality. He has published and spoken widely on these topics and has extensive experience in clinical trials.
Prof. Sagalowsky is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Urological Association, the Society of Urologic Oncology, and the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. He has been honored by Texas Monthly as a Super Doctor, and he is listed in America’s Top Doctors for Cancer.
Acknowledgements
None.
Footnote
Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
References
- Gao S. Professor Arthur Sagalowsky: cytoreductive nephrectomy is still important for advanced/metastatic renal cell cancer but many still need to be proved. Asvide 2016;3:395. Available online: http://www.asvide.com/articles/1166
(Science Editor: Skylar Gao, TAU, tau@amepc.org)
