Types of Cancer We Treat
Brain cancers include those cancers that originate in the brain and brain stem. There are many types of primary brain tumors that include glioma and non-glioma tumor types. Gliomas are thought to grow from glial cells, which are types of brain cells. Non-gliomas grow from different kinds of cells and include meningiomas, which are often non-cancerous, but can cause symptoms from pressing on the brain or spinal cord. Non-glioma cancers also include pituitary gland tumors, primary CNS lymphoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, and schwannoma.
Brain Cancers
Brain cancers include those cancers that originate in the brain and brain stem. There are many types of primary brain tumors that include glioma and non-glioma tumor types. Gliomas are thought to grow from glial cells, which are types of brain cells. Non-gliomas grow from different kinds of cells and include meningiomas, which are often non-cancerous, but can cause symptoms from pressing on the brain or spinal cord. Non-glioma cancers also include pituitary gland tumors, primary CNS lymphoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, and schwannoma.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai Medical Center, we apply a multidisciplinary approach to treating brain cancers where different types of doctors and other health care professionals who specialize in brain cancer work together. They will determine the best course of treatment based on the size, type, and grade of your brain tumor; whether it’s causing symptoms; and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Typically, treatment for brain cancers uses a combination of therapies, including surgery, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies. One of the challenges treating brain cancer is that your body has a natural blood-brain barrier that protects the brain and spinal cord. This same protective barrier can make it difficult for chemotherapy to reach brain cancers.
Breast Cancers
Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Breast Center offers a wide variety of breast care services, giving patients access to advanced screening, diagnostic, and treatment options. Our expert physicians are committed to personalized, high-quality care in a supportive environment dedicated to helping women stay healthy and feel empowered on their health journey.
Through innovative technology, early detection of breast cancer means that effective treatment can start in the initial course of the disease, likely before it has spread. Whether it is a first mammogram or diagnostic testing, our trained professionals help guide patients to an array of educational, counseling, and support services for breast care tailored to the individual needs of each person.
To learn more about breast cancer and the Breast Center, click here.
Bone Cancer
Only cancers that originate in the bones from bone cells are considered bone cancer, which is uncommon. In fact, less than one percent of cancers diagnosed in the U.S. are primary bone cancer. Cancer in the bones is much more often the result of other types of cancer that have spread to the bone, especially breast and prostate cancer. All primary bone cancers are part of a larger category of cancer called sarcoma.
At Mount Sinai Medical Center, our cancer experts use a combination of treatments for patients with primary bone cancer. Surgery is the most common approach, where your Mount Sinai surgeon will remove the bone tumor and make sure to remove enough surrounding bone tissue so that no cancer is left behind. Advanced surgical techniques and pre-surgical treatments with medication have made it much less likely that people with bone cancer in their arms or legs will require a radical type of surgery, such as amputation.
In addition to surgery, Mount Sinai’s cancer team also utilizes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted medicines such as a new drug called Xgeva that targets giant cell cancers that can’t be surgically removed. We also utilize cryotherapy which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill cancers cells in the bone.
Sarcoma
Sarcomas are a broad category of cancers that develop in bones or soft tissues like muscle, fat, and even nerves. Because these tissues are almost everywhere in your body, sarcoma can start in any part of the body. Sarcoma is rare, and only about one percent of all cancers are sarcomas.
There are more than 50 kinds of soft tissue sarcomas, and they usually are named based on the type of soft tissue cells that they grow from. Because there are so many different types of soft tissue sarcomas, they’re really more of a family of cancers, rather than a specific diagnosis.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai Medical Center, our cancer experts typically use a combination of treatments for patients with sarcomas; however, the specific treatment will be determined by a number of factors, including the type of sarcoma, the stage of disease, and whether or not the soft tissue tumor can be removed surgically.
With surgery, your Mount Sinai surgeon will remove the cancerous tumor along with enough surrounding tissue to makes sure no cancer is left behind. In fact, the surgeon will have pathologists examine the tissue during the surgery to make sure there is no cancer in the edges of the tissue removed. This is called “negative margins” and ensures that the surgeon has removed all of the tumor.
In addition to surgery, Mount Sinai’s cancer experts use different types of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for patients with sarcoma. In more recent years, several new medications have been approved for treating sarcomas. These targeted therapies include Imatinib (Gleevec), Pazopanib (Votrient), Tazemetostat (Tazverik), and Pexidartinib (Turalio).
Adrenal Cancer
Adrenal cancer is a rare type of cancer that oddly strikes young children (under five) and middle-aged adults in their 40s and 50s. It occurs in the adrenal glands, which produce important hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenal glands are located on top of your kidneys.
Treatments
Early detection, prior to the spread of adrenal cancer, makes it possible to cure the disease. If adrenal cancer has spread to other parts of the body, your Mount Sinai doctors will use treatment to prevent recurrence or disease progression; however, an actual cure is less likely.
For relatively early-stage adrenal cancer, Mount Sinai’s cancer experts usually remove the cancer surgically, along with the entire adrenal gland that is affected by the cancer. Our expert surgeons are able to perform this operation robotically or laparoscopically, allowing patients to recover more quickly. We may also use a drug called Mitotane (Lysodren) to prevent the adrenal cancer from coming back, also known as recurrence. In addition to these standard treatments, your Mount Sinai team may recommend radiation treatment and chemotherapy, depending upon the stage of disease or if it has spread to certain parts of the body.
Carcinoid Tumors
Carcinoid tumors are extremely rare, slow-growing cancerous tumors that can develop anywhere in your body where hormone-producing cells are present, such as the small intestine, appendix, rectum, lungs, colon, stomach, pancreas, or liver. They are typically not diagnosed until later stages because they oftentimes don’t have many symptoms.
While most carcinoid tumors grow slowly and do not reach a large size, some grow more quickly and can become larger. Additionally, some carcinoid tumors secrete hormones and cause a condition called carcinoid syndrome.
Treatments
Treating carcinoid tumors at Mount Sinai Comprehensive Care Center involves a variety of tactics, including surgery, chemotherapy, octreotide, and liver treatment. If the tumor is relatively small or at the beginning of its growth, partial surgery is completed to remove it. In addition to surgery, chemotherapy and octreotide are medicines that fight or control the carcinoid tumor from growing further. Liver treatment, only done if the carcinoid tumor has entered your liver, involves injecting chemotherapy medicines or small pellets to block blood flow to the tumor cells.
Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
Gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors grow in the gastrointestinal tract from a certain type of neuroendocrine cells that produce hormones that control digestive juices and the muscles used to move food through the GI tract. Symptoms of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors include abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, our team of cancer specialists typically suggests more than one type of treatment depending on the grade of tumor. The main types of treatment for gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Most surgeons seek to remove the entire tumor before it spreads to the rest of the body. When possible, our expert advanced gastroenterologists are able to use endoscopic techniques to remove early carcinoid tumors. Otherwise, our surgeons will use a minimally invasive approach to resect these lesions. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also help destroy gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors.
Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (Islet Cell Tumors)
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors form in the pancreas in both the exocrine and endocrine pancreas. The exocrine pancreas makes enzymes to help digest food and the endocrine pancreas creates hormones that are released into the blood. These cells group together to form islets that make up the pancreas. And this is where pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors form, also known as islet cell tumors.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors come in several types, including gastrinoma, insulinoma, glucagonoma, and more. Gastrinoma occurs when a tumor forms in gastrin-producing cells, a hormone that helps in the digestion of food. Tumors that form in a group of insulin-producing cells affect the glucose-controlling capabilities, known as insulinoma. Glucagonoma occurs when a tumor forms around a group of glucagon-producing cells that maintain the amount of glucose in the bloodstream by increasing it. Other types of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors can form on cells that control water, sugar, and salt in your body, and they are usually grouped together due to their similar treatment.
Treatments
Your Mount Sinai cancer experts treat pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with a variety of tactics, including minimally invasive surgery, chemotherapy, and sometimes radiofrequency ablation. Your type of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor dictates the form of treatment you receive; however, surgical removal of the tumor is the primary choice. If your tumor has spread to other parts of your body, our team recommends chemotherapy, hormone therapy, drug treatment, radiofrequency ablation, and cryosurgical ablation to shrink or destroy cancer cells.
Paraganglioma
Paragangliomas are a type of neuroendocrine tumor that develop from nerve cells called chromaffin cells. These cells are responsible for controlling important functions, including regulating blood pressure using hormones like adrenaline. So, when tumors form from chromaffin cells, patients may experience irregular secretions of adrenaline. This can cause high blood pressure, faster than normal heartbeat, shaking, and headaches.
Paragangliomas are rare, and they’re usually not cancerous. However, in some cases, they can be cancerous and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. These tumors can develop in people of any age, but at Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center and at most cancer treatment facilities in the United States, we typically see this type of cancer among patients between the ages of 30 and 50.
Treatments
Treatment almost always starts with surgery to remove the paraganglioma. If, however, surgery alone does not eliminate all signs of cancer, then other systemic treatments may be necessary, such as chemotherapy.
Parathyroid Cancer
The thyroid gland is a large gland that wraps around the trachea or throat. Parathyroid glands are tiny, pea-sized glands at the corners of the thyroid that make a hormone called parathyroid hormone, or PTH, which helps your body regulate the level of calcium in your blood.
Parathyroid cancer, which is rare, happens when cancerous cells form inside one or more parathyroid glands.
Treatments
Patients receiving treatment for parathyroid cancer at Mount Sinai can expect their doctor to seek to reduce the PTH produced by the parathyroid to control how much calcium is in the blood. Usually, surgery to remove the tumor is the first approach; however, for patients who can’t have surgery, your Mount Sinai cancer expert will prescribe medication.
Mount Sinai’s physicians also use chemotherapy and radiation therapy for patients with parathyroid cancer.
Pheochromocytoma
Pheochromocytoma tumors are rare tumors that develop in the adrenal gland where epinephrine and norepinephrine hormones are made. These hormones help maintain your body’s heart rate and blood pressure, so tumors in these glands lead to a high pulse, pounding heartbeat, headaches, clammy skin, and more.
Treatments
Mount Sinai’s treatment for pheochromocytoma depends on your age, overall health, medical history, stage of disease, your body’s response to medicines, and your personal preferences. Common treatments for pheochromocytoma include minimally invasive robotic surgery and treatment with drugs. With surgery, our team may remove one or both of your adrenal glands. As a secondary option, patients may take medicine; however, it is rarely as effective as surgery.
Pituitary Tumor
The pituitary gland is an important gland that sits at the base of the brain, and it produces hormones responsible for growth. A pituitary tumor is a growth of abnormal cells within the pituitary gland. Fortunately, most pituitary tumors are not cancerous and don’t spread to the rest of the body. However, they can still be dangerous because the gland may produce too much hormone or not enough, which can cause symptoms. In addition, some pituitary tumors can affect vision by pressing against the optic nerve.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai Medical Center, our cancer experts often perform surgery to remove pituitary tumors, especially small ones. In addition, they use radiation therapy that can destroy fast-growing cancer cells. A third option, called radiosurgery, which isn’t surgery at all, uses a high dose of radiation to destroy the tumor without damaging nearby tissue. Patients with pituitary tumors may also require medication to regulate hormone levels during and after treatment.
Thyroid Cancer
The thyroid is a gland that wraps around the trachea or throat. It has a left and right side that are connected by a thin piece of tissue. Nodules sometimes form on the thyroid, but these are rarely cancerous. Sometimes, though, nodules can be cancerous, or malignant. When thyroid tumors are well differentiated from regular tissue, the chances for cure are better. Poorly differentiated thyroid cancers are harder to treat, and they often spread quickly to other parts of the body.
Treatments
Surgery to remove the thyroid gland, known as a thyroidectomy, is the most common approach to treating most thyroid cancers; however, in some cases, with smaller tumors, your Mount Sinai surgeon may only remove the part of the thyroid affected by the tumor. Sometimes, your surgeon will also remove lymph nodes in your neck to make sure the cancer has not spread.
After a thyroidectomy, your surgeon may also recommend additional treatments, including:
- Radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment to destroy any remaining cancers that were left behind after the surgery.
- Your Mount Sinai doctor may also use radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted medications such as lenvatinib (Lenvima) or sorafenib (Nexavar) if the cancer has spread and radioactive iodine treatment does not work.
If you have surgery to remove your thyroid, your doctor will prescribe daily thyroid hormone pills (levothyroxine) to replace the hormone your thyroid used to produce.
Head & Neck Cancer
Pharyngeal Cancer
The pharynx is the hollow tube inside the neck that connects the nose to the windpipe and esophagus. Pharyngeal cancer forms in the tissues of the pharynx and is typically caused from the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. It can also be caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). Pharyngeal cancer is categorized by nasopharynx (the upper throat behind the nose), oropharynx (the middle of the throat), hypopharynx (the bottom of the throat), and cancer of the larynx (the voice box).
Treatments
Here at Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, our team of cancer experts treats pharyngeal cancer with a variety of methods. Our primary tactic of treatment is surgery with endoscopic instruments through the nostrils or by an open surgery to remove the cancerous cells. In addition, radiation therapy is very effective in removing cancer clusters. If necessary, chemotherapy may be required to treat pharyngeal cancer as well. Utilizing a multidisciplinary team, our physicians will treat your cancer based on the latest evidence-based guidelines.
Throat Cancer
Throat cancer is a type of cancer that develops in your throat or voice box. The throat connects the nose to the neck, with the voice box enabling talking by vibrating the vocal cords whenever talking. Symptoms of throat cancer include coughing, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, ear pain, and a sore throat. The types of throat cancer include nasopharyngeal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, glottic cancer, supraglottic cancer, and subglottic cancer. With several forms of throat cancer, cancerous cells can develop virtually anywhere in your throat.
Treatments
Mount Sinai cancer experts target cancerous cells in your throat with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. In the early stages of throat cancer, our team of doctors typically recommends surgery to remove the tumor using endoscopic techniques, a cordectomy, laryngectomy, phrenectomy, or neck dissection. In the later stages, our cancer specialists turn to radiation therapy or chemotherapy, treating the tumor with radiation or cancer-killing drugs to destroy the cancerous cells.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common type of leukemia in adults. It starts in cells that become lymphocytes, which are the part of white blood cells responsible for protecting us from disease. It also affects lymph nodes and other tissues. Since it is a chronic leukemia, meaning it’s ongoing, the lymphocyte cells do not fully mature and therefore cannot fight infection as well as normal white blood cells, eventually causing a number of health problems. There are two major types of chronic lymphocytic leukemia: slow-growing and fast-growing. Slow-growing chronic lymphocytic leukemia gradually builds in your body and does not need attention immediately. On the other hand, fast-growing chronic lymphocytic leukemia develops quickly in your system and can be very serious.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, our team of cancer specialists implement chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, targeted therapy drugs, and stem cell transplants to effectively treat CLL. Due to the different rates at which chronic lymphocytic leukemia develops, different treatment methods suit different people. Besides the growth rate, other factors that affect treatment decisions include severity of symptoms, age, overall health, and predicted side effects of treatment.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a type of leukemia that begins in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. Chronic myelogenous leukemia starts in myeloid cells, which are cells that develop into white blood cells. Its chronic tendencies indicate that its cells do not mature fully and therefore take a longer time to develop. Chronic leukemias are more difficult to cure.
Treatments
Mount Sinai cancer specialists select a treatment approach or combination of treatments that will work best for the patient’s stage of disease, age, availability of stem cell donor, and likely effects from treatment. The most common forms of treatment include targeted therapies, interferon therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and stem cell transplant. Targeted therapies use innovative drugs, such as imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, and ponatinib, to kill the chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. Other techniques, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, aim to achieve similar results using more conventional approaches.
Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
In the case of chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (CMN), the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, platelets, or certain white blood cells. It’s really a broad category of blood cancers that gets progressively worse for patients because the extra blood cells build up in blood and bone marrow causing a wide range of symptoms, such as bleeding, fatigue, and vulnerability to infection. Certain chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms turn into acute myeloid leukemia (AML), while others are categorized as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), as well as at least a half-dozen types of specific leukemias.
Treatments
Because chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms include so many different types of leukemias, Mount Sinai cancer experts utilize a variety of treatment approaches that are specific to the type of CMN. For example, some forms of CMN like, polycythemia vera, use phlebotomy to ensure red blood cell counts remain below 45%. Still, other forms of CMN utilize more invasive treatments, such as chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and targeted immunotherapies.
Hairy Cell Leukemia
Hairy cell leukemia is a rare type of leukemia that affects adults and develops slowly over the course of many years. It’s called “hairy cell,” because abnormal blood cells produced with this disease have thin hair-like protrusions. Hairy cell leukemia causes an overproduction of abnormal versions of a certain type of white blood cells (B lymphocytes). Normally, B lymphocytes are part of the body’s disease fighting system. However, the abnormal B lymphocytes don’t produce the necessary antibodies to effectively fight diseases.
Treatments
Chemotherapy is the first line of treatment for hairy cell leukemia. In addition, at Mount Sinai, we also use a category of drugs known as biologics. These drugs oftentimes have fewer and less severe side effects compared to chemotherapy. Surgery to remove the patient’s spleen may be required if the spleen ruptures. While this is not a cure, it can help patients blood counts return to normal levels.
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a kind of cancer that starts in the glands that create lymphocytes, which are a type of blood cell that helps us fight disease. Lymphocytes are produced by a number of different organs and glands in the body, so Hodgkin’s lymphoma can start in many different places, including the lymph nodes, the spleen, the digestive tract, adenoids and tonsils. The primary difference between Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the type of lymphocytes affected. With Hodgkin’s, the affected cells are known as Reed-Sternberg cells that can be identified under a microscope. Also, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma tends to affect younger patients. The median age of onset is 39.
Treatments
Since Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a systemic disease affecting the whole lymphatic system, treatments are systemic. At Mounts Sinai we primarily use chemotherapy and radiation treatment to effectively treat patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In addition, newer targeted therapies and immunotherapies have also demonstrated themselves to be effective.
Leukemia
Leukemia is a broad category of blood cancers and the tissues that make blood cells. With all types of leukemia, the body produces too many abnormal white blood cells, and these abnormal white blood cells take over, crowding out red blood cells and platelets. The result is the body can’t fight disease as well. In addition, leukemia creates symptoms like fatigue, chills, fever, vomiting, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, and many more. There are a wide range of types of leukemia, categorized as chronic or acute. In addition, leukemias are categorized as lymphoblastic or myeloid based on the type of bone marrow cells affected: those that create lymphocytes or those that create red blood cells, platelets, and other types of white blood cells.
Treatments
Medical breakthroughs in the treatment of leukemia have dramatically improved survival rates, especially for childhood leukemias. Today, we have a whole arsenal of drugs and treatment approaches ranging from immunotherapy that uses the body’s own ability to fight disease, to chemotherapy, drugs that target specific molecules, as well as radiation treatment to destroy cancer cells. Ultimately, the type of treatment at Mount Sinai will depend on your type of leukemia as well as the stage of disease and your current health status.
Lymphoma
Lymphoma describes cancers that start in those parts of the body that produce disease fighting cells called lymphocytes. These include organs and glands like lymph nodes, lymph vessels, adenoids, tonsils, and many glands within the digestive tract. It’s different from leukemia that stats in those parts of the body that produce blood cells, including disease-fighting blood cells, but like leukemia, lymphoma is a systemic disease that affects the whole body. Most people who develop lymphoma have a form called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is more common among older adults. The primary difference between non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cell that is present in patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Treatments
The primary treatment for lymphoma is chemotherapy, which targets rapidly dividing cells, like those abnormal lymphocytes produced in patients with lymphoma. At Mount Sinai, we also frequently use radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and new targeted therapies, which are drugs that target certain aspects of lymphoma at the molecular level.
Multiple Myeloma
Multiple Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects the cells that produce plasma, which is important for your body’s ability to fight disease. With patients who have multiple myeloma, these cells reproduce too rapidly and create abnormal plasma cells that allow too much of a certain protein to the blood. These abnormal cells crowd out other healthy cells in bones and produce a chemical that eats away at the bones creating weak spots called lytic lesions. There is no cure for multiple myeloma, but its progression can be slowed dramatically and even stopped.
Treatments
Like with other blood cancers, we have made major breakthroughs in how we treat multiple myeloma. Today, we use a range of drugs including chemotherapy to target rapidly dividing plasma cells, as well as targeted therapies, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapies.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, and the most prevalent cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s why Mount Sinai has assembled a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals to create our specialized Lung Center. As a result, Mount Sinai has been recognized as a center of excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance and offers patients a comprehensive array of diagnostic and treatment options, including minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery and access to clinical trials not available at other local institutions.
To learn more about lung cancer and our Lung Center, click here.
Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. In fact, during the most recent year for which we have statistics, more than 5.4 million people in the U.S. were treated for non-melanoma skin cancers. Think of this: one in five people will have skin cancer before they’re 70. Fortunately, the vast majority of skin cancers are treatable and survivable. Moreover, skin cancer risk can be dramatically reduced by avoiding exposure to the sun with sunscreen, shade, hats, and UV-protective clothing. In addition, avoiding artificial sources of UV light can also reduce your risk of skin cancer.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is extremely common. More than 3 million new cases are diagnosed each year. As its name implies, basal cell skin cancer starts in the basal cells, which are the cells in your skin responsible for replacing old skin with new skin. It can appear differently in different people, but almost always appears as a raised lesion on the skin. It can be pearly in color, transparent, or brownish. It can be smooth, scaly, or bleed easily. Because basal cell carcinoma takes so many forms, it’s important to see a dermatologist as soon as you notice a change or new spot on your skin.
Treatments
It is quite rare for basal cell carcinoma to spread beyond the skin to other parts of the body; however, it is not impossible. In most cases, though, the goal of treatment is to remove the lesion. At Mount Sinai, our expert dermatologists use a wide array of treatments to eliminate basal cell carcinoma including the following:
- Topical chemotherapy and other topical medications
- Mohs surgery to slice away thin layers of the lesion until no cancer can be seen under samples examined under a microscope
- Excision surgery to remove the lesion along with a margin of skin around the lesion
- Cryosurgery to freeze the lesion
- Laser surgery
- Photodynamic therapy that uses medication that activates when exposed to certain types of light
Melanoma
Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, and it is also the least common. Melanoma begins in a part of your skin called melanocytes, which produce pigment in your skin and give color to your skin, eyes, and hair. Since you have melanocytes throughout your body, you can develop melanoma anywhere on the surface of your body, including places you may not think of, like your scalp, between your toes, on genitals, and even in your eyes. Melanoma is dangerous because, unlike most other skin cancers, it can spread to other organs. Fortunately, though, when melanoma is caught early, the five-year survival rate is 99%.
Melanoma typically first appears on the surface of your body as an asymmetrical, raised lesion with irregular coloring, usually larger than the eraser on a pencil. If you notice a spot that fits these characteristics, schedule an appointment with a Mount Sinai dermatologist who can determine if it is cancer or something less serious.
Treatments
Treating early stage melanomas that have not spread beyond the skin requires surgical removal of the lesion along with an area around the spot that is free of any cancer cells. Because melanomas can extend deep into the skin, sometimes your surgeon may need to remove more skin than you might think.
For melanoma that has spread beyond the skin, Mount Sinai cancer experts rely on a combination of treatment approaches, including removal of lymph nodes near the original spot. In recent years, we have begun to effectively utilize immunotherapy and targeted therapies which have proven to be highly effective in eliminating cancer, even for those whose disease has spread to internal organs. In addition, we regularly use chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the treatment of melanoma.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cell skin cancers are the second most common type of skin cancer after basal cell carcinoma. Squamous cell cancers can occur in other parts of body, including inside the mouth, lungs, and other tissue. However, squamous cell cancers of the skin are most common. They usually appear as reddish-brown areas of scaly skin that doesn’t heal or go away. If not treated, squamous cell skin cancer can grow into large disfiguring patches, and in rare cases, it can even be deadly.
Treatments
Like basal cell carcinoma, at Mount Sinai, we treat squamous cell skin cancers with a variety of treatment approaches that range from topical medication, to surgery, to advanced technological methods. Our array of treatments include the following:
- Topical chemotherapy and other topical medications
- Mohs surgery to slice away thin layers of the lesion until no cancer can be seen under samples examined under a microscope
- Excision surgery to remove the lesion along with a margin of skin around the lesion
- Cryosurgery to freeze the lesion
- Laser surgery
- Photodynamic therapy that uses medication that activates when exposed to certain types of light
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer occurs with the formation of a tumor or tumors inside the bladder, within the wall of the bladder, or even on the outside of the bladder. It’s most common among people who have smoked cigarettes. In fact, bladder cancer is often considered a “smoker’s cancer.” Common symptoms include blood in the urine, the urge to urinate, and pain during urination.
Treatments
Treatment depends on the stage of bladder cancer, and usually involves surgery to remove the bladder tumor, and depending upon the stage of disease, sometimes the entire bladder. In these cases, your Mount Sinai urological surgeon may be able to create an artificial bladder to prevent the need for a bag on the outside of your body to hold urine. Oftentimes, our expert surgeons are able to perform this using a robot.
At Mount Sinai, we also use intravesical treatments where we deliver medication directly to the bladder through a thin flexible tube, or catheter, inserted through the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder outside of the body. With intra vesical treatments, we can deliver chemotherapy drugs to destroy cancer cells. In addition, we use a drug called Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), which is actually a germ similar to the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. This germ, when put inside the bladder, triggers an immune response that can destroy the cancer cells.
For more advanced bladder cancer, we also use chemotherapy delivered intravenously (through IV), as well as radiation therapy.
Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC) or renal hypernephroma, is the most common kidney cancer among adults. It occurs when cells of cancer begin to uncontrollably grow within the kidney tubules, a small tube in the kidney. RCC is one of the fastest-growing cancers that often spreads rapidly to the lungs and other nearby organs. Common symptoms include a loss of appetite, blood in the urine, excessive growth of body hair, fatigue, a lump in the abdomen, persistent side pain, unexpected weight loss, and vision problems
Treatment
At Mount Sinai, we utilize the standard treatments for kidney cancer, which includes chemotherapy, immune or biological therapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and targeted treatment, which attacks cancer cells only.
Penile Cancer
The penis is a complex organ made up of several different types of tissue. But like any organ in the human body, it is susceptible to developing cancer. The type of penile cancer depends on the tissue within the penis from which the cancer developed. These can include squamous cells and skin cells (melanoma and basal cell carcinoma), as well as soft tissue (sarcoma). Changes to the appearance of a man’s penis is the most common symptom. These include changes to the skin, lumps or bumps on the shaft or head of the penis, as well as sores or discharge.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai, we treat early-stage penile cancer with a variety of approaches, including chemotherapy creams applied to the skin of the penis, cryotherapy to freeze off cancerous cells, Mohs surgery to remove affected skin of the penis, or circumcision if the cancer is isolated to the foreskin only. More advanced forms of penile cancer may require removal of lymph nodes in the groin, radiation and chemotherapy, and a penectomy, which is the surgical removal of some or all of the penis.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer happens when a tumor forms within the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system that produces ejaculate. It’s a common cancer among men. In fact, nearly a quarter million men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, representing more than 13% of all cancers – among men and women. The good news is most men survive prostate cancer. More than 97% are still alive five years after diagnosis. While some men may have symptoms like difficulty getting an erection or trouble urinating, the best way to detect prostate cancer is with an annual digital rectal exam, where your primary care doctor or Mount Sinai urologist inserts a finger into the anus to feel any irregularities of the prostate, which can be felt through the wall of the rectum. In addition, men over 50 may want to have a blood test to detect elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
Treatment
Depending on the size and stage of cancer, treatment options include surveillance – with no treatment – to make sure the cancer does not grow. For men whose cancer is aggressive, surgery to remove the prostate gland is a common and effective treatment. At Mount Sinai, we use robotic-assisted surgical devices to remove men’s cancerous prostate with minimal impact on their sexual function or continence.
If prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, like bone, liver, or lungs, we use chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and radiation therapy, as well as immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy to destroy prostate cancer cells.
Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer occurs in men within the testes, the male reproductive glands contained inside the scrotum. It’s a relatively rare type of cancer that usually occurs in younger men, between the ages of 15 and 35. The good news is testicular cancer is highly treatable, even in those men whose cancer has spread outside of the testicle. A regular physical exam by your primary care doctor should include an examination of your testicles to feel for any lumps that could be tumors. Likewise, men can feel their own testicles for unusual new lumps or growths.
Treatments
At Mount Sinai and elsewhere, surgery is the primary treatment for all stages of testicular cancer. In most cases, the surgeon can remove the affected testicle from the scrotum and insert a silicone filled prosthetic testicle, so your appearance will not be affected. In some cases, the surgeon may also remove lymph nodes in the groin, where cancer may have spread.
For men whose testicular cancer has spread to distant parts of their body, chemotherapy and radiation treatment may be required.
Our Physicians
Kfir Ben-David, MD
Roni Jacobson Endowed Chairman of Surgery
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
- Cancer
- General Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
- Robotic Surgery
- Bariatric
- Gastroenterology
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2397
Mike Cusnir, MD
Chief, Division of Hematology & Oncology
Co-Director, Gastrointestinal Malignancies
Assistant Professor at the Columbia University Division of Hematology/Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Cancer
- Oncology
- Medical Oncology
- Hematology/Oncology
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- (305) 535-3300
- Mount Sinai Emergency Center, Physician Offices, Cancer Center and Diagnostic Center Aventura
- (305) 692-5400
Steven N. Hochwald, MD, MBA, FACS
Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chief of Surgical Oncology
Associate Director of the Mount Sinai-Columbia University affiliation at Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Surgical Oncology
- Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Gastric Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Metastatic Cancer to Liver
- Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumors and Associated Malignancy
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2397
Stuart S Kaplan, MD
Chief, Section of Breast Imaging, Breast Ultrasound and MRI, and Breast Interventional Procedures
- Cancer
- Oncology
- Radiology
- Breast Imaging
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2273
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.535.3400
- Mount Sinai Emergency Center, Physician Offices, Cancer Center and Diagnostic Center Aventura
- 305.692.5400
Akshay Bhandari, MD
Co-Chief, Columbia University Division of Urology at Mount Sinai Medical Center
Director, Robotic Surgery
Assistant Professor at the Columbia University Division of Urology at Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Urology
- Cancer
- Oncology
- Robotic Surgery
- Urologic Oncology
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2499
- Mount Sinai Emergency Center, Physician Offices, Cancer Center and Diagnostic Center Aventura
- 305.692.1080
Alan M Nieder, MD
Co-Chief, Columbia University Division of Urology at Mount Sinai Medical Center
Program Director, Urology Residency Program
Associate Professor at the Columbia University Division of Urology at Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Urology
- Cancer
- Oncology
- Urologic Oncology
- Robotic Surgery
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.674.2499
- Mount Sinai Emergency Center, Physician Offices, Cancer Center and Diagnostic Center Aventura
- 305.692.1080
- Mount Sinai Specialty Care Key West I Cardiology, Urology & Vascular Care
- 305.294.8334
Irman Forghani, MD, FACMG
Director of Genetics at Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Medical Genetics
- Cancer
- Mount Sinai Medical Center (Main Campus)
- 305.535.1859