Welcome

Welcome to the Prostate and Urologic Cancer Program (PUCP) of UPMC Cancer Centers. As co-directors of the Program, we hope that this site provides you with basic information about prostate and urologic cancers and introduces you to the personnel and activities of the Program.

Our site has been established with an emphasis on prostate cancer. However, as we continue to develop this site, we will provide extensive information on all urologic tumors, including bladder, kidney, penile, ureter, urethral, adrenal and testes cancers.

The mission of the PUCP is to offer the best care for cancer patients throughout all phases of their disease and to conduct laboratory and clinical research into causes and treatments of prostate and urological cancers. The Program strives to provide state-of-the-art treatments and therapies for those with prostate and urological cancers, to be an educational resource for patients and the community and to provide an environment that stimulates excellence in prostate and urologic cancer research.

The PUCP focuses on identifying people who are at high risk for developing prostate and genitourinary cancers, developing better screening and diagnostic approaches and investigating more effective therapies for these cancers. Physicians and scientists at the PUCP have extensive expertise in urologic surgery, clinical pharmacology and in developing new drugs and hormone therapies for prostate and urological cancers. PUCP members are currently exploring ways to overcome some cancers' ability to resist certain drug treatments as well as studying the use of retinoids and vitamin D for the treatment of prostate cancer.

As physicians and researchers, we've learned that the more we are able to understand about this disease, the better we can utilize this knowledge to more effectively treat and prevent prostate and urologic cancer. We believe that the resources and technologies that have been developed in recent years are beginning to solve the mysteries of this disease. At the PUCP and at UPCI, we are continuing this mission, by providing the latest treatment options and the most effective drugs to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

We hope that the following pages will be a useful resource for those interested in learning about prostate and urologic cancers and the Prostate and Urologic Cancer Program. We welcome your input and ideas, as well as your support.

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Joel B. Nelson, MD
Co-Director, Prostate and Urologic Cancer Program of UPMC Cancer Centers
Chairman, Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh
Frederic N. Schwentker Professor, Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh

Gurkamal S. Chatta, MD
Interim Co-Director, Prostate and Urologic Cancer Program of UPMC Cancer Centers