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Leading the way
Genitourinary Oncology
Leader in the Study and Care
of Genitourinary Cancers
COMMITTED TO WORLD-CLASS CARE, INNOVATIVE RESEARCH
Dana-Farber is home to one of the nation’s
The clinicians and researchers at the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at
premier treatment, research, and training
Dana-Farber are global leaders in the field, committed to providing the highest level
programs focused on genitourinary (GU) cancers.
of patient-focused, multidisciplinary care while conducting innovative research to
The Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology,
develop novel, more effective preventative, diagnostic, and therapeutic techniques.
led by Philip Kantoff, MD, is a comprehensive,
multidisciplinary clinical program dedicated
to the care of patients with GU malignancies
Treatment: The center treats patients afflicted with a range of GU cancers, including bladder, kidney,
and is complemented by a vibrant portfolio of
penile, prostate, renal, and testicular cancers.
laboratory, translational, clinical, and population
studies related to the treatment and prevention
Research: The Lank Center’s physician-scientists, some of the nation’s leaders in the study of GU
of these cancers.
cancers, collaborate with researchers throughout the Institute, translating groundbreaking discoveries
Clinical Programs
and early-detection strategies, assessment of new therapies, quality-of-life studies, and analysis of tissue,
The following treatment programs are available
for adult patients seen at the Lank Center:
into promising methods of treatment. The center’s clinical research includes investigations of prevention
blood, and tumor samples to better understand the biology of the malignancies and relation to patient
outcomes. The center also houses the Arthur and Linda Gelb Center for Translational Research, which has
built, with the cooperation of more than 10,000 patients, a vast clinical database and collection of cancer
• Bladder cancer
samples, which is a significant resource for studying possible links between genes and GU cancers.
• Kidney cancer
OutReach: To help address racial and socioeconomic disparities in prostate cancer survival, the Blum
• Penile cancer
Family Resource Center Van brings early-detection prostate cancer screenings and information to various
• Prostate cancer
neighborhoods throughout the Boston area, with a special focus on the city’s underserved populations.
• Renal cancer
On the Cutting Edge
• Testicular cancer
• Lank Center Director Philip Kantoff, MD, achieved a major milestone in the field of cancer treatment,
leading a clinical trial that resulted in the first-ever FDA approval of a therapeutic cancer vaccine.
In this multi-site trial, 512 patients with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer were treated
with the vaccine Provenge®, which was shown to prolong the duration of their lives. Provenge is an
immunotherapy, which uses the body’s own immune system to fight the disease and, unlike a preventative
vaccine, is meant for patients who already have prostate cancer. Researchers are now working to
determine whether Provenge might extend survival even longer in men with less severe disease.
Fast Facts
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•Genitourinary cancers accounted for about 23 percent of all new cancer diagnoses and almost 11 percent of all cancer deaths in 2010.
•Over the past 25 years, the five-year survival rate for all prostate cancer stages combined has increased from 69 percent to almost
100 percent.
•Approximately forty clinical trials are underway in the Lank Center, exploring a range of new therapeutic options for a host of GU cancers.
•In addition to a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and urologists, patients at the Lank Center
have access to support services including licensed social workers, specialized nursing care, nutrition counseling, patient-education
resources, support groups, and spiritual care.
Genitourinary Oncology
MEET THE Lank Center TEAM
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To ensure that patients receive the most
• In 2006, Matthew Freedman, MD, identified a chromosomal segment associated with increased
comprehensive care possible, much of the
prostate cancer risk. In 2011, Freedman and Mark Pomerantz, MD, discovered that this specific genetic
Lank Center’s clinical efforts are conducted
region leads to inherited, higher risk for disease by interacting with the oncogene known as MYC. This
in collaboration with surgery and radiology
newly discovered genetic relationship serves as a risk marker and potential target for therapy.
specialists from Brigham and Women’s
• Toni Choueiri, MD, analyzed the outcomes and DNA of hundreds of kidney cancer patients and
Hospital (BWH) as part of Dana-Farber/
Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/
BWCC). The Lank Center’s clinical and
found genetic markers that may predict patient sensitivity to certain drugs and, ultimately, outcomes
to treatment.
• Jonathan Rosenberg, MD, together with Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, scanned 50 tumor samples of
research leaders include:
invasive bladder cancer which revealed a critical chromosomal region which predicts lethal bladder
cancer. Rosenberg and Garraway are sequencing an additional 300 tumor samples to better
understand the biology and genetic pathways that play a role in invasive bladder cancer.
• Mary-Ellen Taplin, MD, has found that the early use of the new drug abiraterone can eradicate
cancer completely in patients with high grade localized prostate cancer.
• Christopher Sweeney, MBBS, is leading a nationwide trial in 600 patients to evaluate whether
Philip Kantoff, MD
Director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology;
Chief Clinical Research Officer;
Chief, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, DFCI
administering chemotherapy prior to hormonal therapy in patients with metastatic prostate cancer
enables hormonal therapy to remain effective for a longer period of time.
• Anthony D’Amico, MD, PhD, is overseeing a clinical trial to determine whether adding the
chemotherapy drug Taxotere® could make the standard treatment for men with high-risk prostate
Anthony D’Amico, MD, PhD
Chief, Division of Genitourinary Radiation Oncology, DFCI
cancer—radiation therapy plus hormone therapy—more effective.
Adam Kibel, MD
Chief, Division of Urology, BWH
Jerome Richie, MD
Chief Emeritus, Division of Urology, BWH
Clair Beard, MD
Toni Choueiri, MD
Kevin Courtney MD, PhD
Aymen Elfiky, MD, MA, MPH
Matthew Freedman, MD
Levi Garraway, MD, PhD
William Hahn, MD, PhD
Julia Hayes, MD
Massimo Loda, MD
Paul Nguyen, MD
Mark Pomerantz, MD
Jonathan Rosenberg, MD
Christopher Sweeney, MBBS
Mary-Ellen Taplin, MD
Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD
Richard White, MD
Channing Yu, MD, PhD
A New View, A New Model
With each discovery, Dana-Farber moves ever closer to a new model of personalized medicine. The Lank
Center’s Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, was senior author of a groundbreaking new study recently published
in the journal Nature. Researchers from Dana-Farber, the Broad Institute, and Weill Cornell Medical College collaborated to reveal the full genetic blueprint of multiple prostate tumors, identifying alterations
that have never before been detected and offering a comprehensive view of the genetic missteps that
trigger the disease.
Using whole genome sequencing, researchers were able to look across the entire DNA landscape of a
tumor and identify several new prostate cancer genes and the changes and patterns critical to prostate
cancer growth. Armed with these new insights, doctors will be better able to determine if a tumor will
remain slow-growing or require more aggressive treatment—something previously left to guesswork—
which may allow them to develop more personalized diagnostic tools.
For more information about the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, contact Nancy Downer at 617-582-7783 or [email protected] or visit dana-farber.org/Lank-Center.
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