Urologic Cancer

Tallwood’s Urology Oncology team is also part of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute, a charter member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance. This gives urologic cancer patients access to state of the art clinical trials closer to home, and we are the leaders in treating urologic cancers in Connecticut.

We are the leaders in treating urologic cancers in Connecticut, giving urologic cancer patients access to state of the art clinical trials closer to home. Our specialists treat adrenal, bladder, kidney, penile, prostate and testicular cancers. We see more prostate cancer patients than anywhere in Connecticut – as many as 600 a year. We also treat the most kidney cancer cases in the state. Our surgeons have successfully completed several hundred robotic prostate surgeries, and our fellowship-trained team of urologic oncologists helps patients regain optimum urologic function. Many of this team’s surgeries are performed robotically to spare as much of the organ as possible, minimize blood loss and chance of infection and promote a quicker recovery via smaller incisions.

Highlights of Our Expertise:

Bladder Reconstruction

Our bladder cancer surgeons can often reconstruct the urinary system by using a patient’s healthy intestinal tissue. With advanced surgical techniques, they can create orthotopic neobladders that route urine back into the urethra, making urination nearly normal. Continent diversion with catheterizable pouches and ileal conduits are other common surgical techniques used for bladder cancer.

Minimally-Invasive Surgical Techniques for Kidneys

Our surgeons are pioneers in the hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (HALN) technique, and have taught the technique to well over 1,000 surgeons from the U.S. and overseas. This is one of the gold standards in practice and greatly improves the quality of life for our patients. Our surgeons are also among the world's most experienced in performing robotic partial nephrectomies, which allows even more complex and larger tumors to be removed using a minimally invasive approach and has less of an impact on the quality of life for patients.

Robotic Prostate Surgery

For the best outcomes in preserving sexual function and continence, urologic cancer patients need exacting surgical precision – often best provided through robotic surgery, which requires only small incisions. With robotic prostate surgery, patients lose less blood, and recover more quickly.

Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer

This treatment protocol helps to spare the urethra from radiation damage. Using advanced computer technology our team controls how long radioactive iridium-192 seeds stay in the prostate tumor — from fractions of a second up to many seconds.

Advanced Medical Technologies

When treating urologic cancers, it’s critical that radiation damage to healthy surrounding tissue is minimized. Using that latest 3-D conformal radiation therapy, we can deliver treatments with intense precision. Our team has the very latest technologies at their disposal, including MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) US (ultrasound – high frequency sound waves) fusion equipment. This gives a more accurate biopsy of areas of the prostate suspicious for prostate cancer and identifies disease progression.

A Multidisciplinary Team Treating Urologic Cancers

Urologic Oncology is led by Anoop Meraney, MD, treating patients who have cancer of the kidney, bladder, prostate or testes.

Our specialty trained urologic oncologist leads a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and clinical research nurses. This collaborative team offers the most comprehensive treatment programs in Connecticut. A full range of supports include biofeedback and other integrative therapies, educational seminars and patient support groups so patients and their families know what to expect during treatment and at home.

Treatments leverage the latest drug therapies, leading-edge technologies, and the most advanced surgical procedures. Patients requiring ostemies are cared for by a specialized and experienced post-surgical ostemy team. Comprehensive care is important, including exacting pathology analysis and active surveillance for issues like elevated PSA levels. Our specialists are dedicated to helping patients regain optimum urologic function after cancer treatment, so they can have the best possible long-term quality of life.

Complex urologic oncology cases are presented at our tumor board meetings, where a highly specialized cancer treatment team comes to a consensus on the best plan of care. Our treatment team ensures you know what to expect during your treatment and at home, offering a full range of supports from biofeedback and other integrative therapies to educational seminars and patient support groups.