Frances M. Alba, MD

University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Frances M. Alba, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology at the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque. Dr. Alba is also the Urology Residency Program Director at UNM. Dr. Alba earned her medical degree from the UNM School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Alba completed an internship with a specialty in surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Alba practices at the UNM Hospital, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, and at the UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center. Her clinical interests include kidney, bladder, testicular, and penile cancer. She has contributed to several publications, most recently an October, 2022 paper discussing predictors and barriers to resident scholarly activity in U.S. urology residency programs. Dr. Alba’s clinical practice interests encompass all aspects of general urology, with a particular expertise in bladder, kidney and testicular cancer. She is committed to providing the highest quality care to her patients and understands the impact of social determinants of health. As a native New Mexican she is skilled in delivering care that is sensitive to the cultural diversity of the population in New Mexico and is honored to care for her community. In addition to developing enduring educational strategies within the Division of Urology, Dr. Alba’s goal is to be a leader in performance improvement for clinical and educational activities within UNM Health.

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Talks by Frances M. Alba, MD

Active Surveillance of Renal Mass

Posted by Frances M. Alba, MD | Mar 2024

Frances M. Alba, MD, discusses the benefits of active surveillance of small renal masses (SRM) as a treatment option. Dr. Alba begins by presenting data that most SRM have low or very low malignant potential. Despite this, SRM are removed routinely without preoperative pathologic diagnosis and Dr. Alba asserts this raises the question of significant overtreatment.

Dr. Alba then addresses metastasis, explaining that risk of metastases is exceedingly low for SRM. She describes a prediction calculator to support personalized-treatment selection and explains that regardless of treatment, the vast majority of patients will die of other causes. She emphasizes overall survival is influenced by patient risk factors.

Dr. Alba addresses quality-of-life issues for patients being treated with active surveillance, including the impact of illness uncertainty. She covers trends in active surveillance before outlining her recommendations, suggesting an initial period of six months to establish a trend. She advises asking patients about fears, concerns, and life events. She points out that active surveillance can be used to delay intervention in patients with competing medical or life issues and delayed intervention is safe.

Dr. Alba concludes by emphasizing that active surveillance is the ultimate nephron-sparing management modality and patients can be managed conservatively with serial imaging. Dr. Alba reminds practitioners that intervention for SRM imposes physical, emotional, mental, and financial burdens on patients and families, and that active surveillance can alleviate many of these concerns.

An Assessment of Research Training Among US Urology Residency Programs, Including Characteristics, Resources, and Barriers Associated with Outcomes

Posted by Frances M. Alba, MD | Oct 2019

Frances M. Alba, MD, reviews the findings of a survey-based study she conducted to assess the current state of American urology residency programs, which she presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the South Central Section of the American Urological Association. She emphasizes the importance of research training and scholarly activity for the well-being of residents and faculty, as well as for the overall advancement of urology.