Mohamad E. Allaf, MD, Author at Grand Rounds in Urology

Mohamad E. Allaf, MD

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Baltimore, Maryland

Mohamad E. Allaf, MD, is Professor of Urology and Oncology, as well as Director of the Department of Urology and the Brady Urological Institute, Urologist-in-Chief of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery. Dr. Allaf earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed his residency in urology.

Dr. Allaf is a world renowned surgeon-scientist who has performed more than 2,000 robotic procedures and published over 250 peer reviewed research papers in the field's best journals. Dr. Allaf has used Dr. Patrick Walsh's method of radical prostatectomy as the basis for his own anatomic method to this complex operation.

Dr. Allaf is also amongst the leaders in kidney cancer surgery, having served on the American Urological Association (AUA) Guideline Committee for Kidney Cancer. He led a team who performed the rigorous analysis to help inform the most recent guidelines that was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). He is best known for his ability to save the kidney and remove the tumor in patients with kidney tumors.

Dr. Allaf runs a research endeavor aiming to decrease the morbidity associated with the treatment of cancer, and he has mentored numerous leaders in academic urology. He is actively involved in fundraising for research and education, and believes in expanding the base of support in order to advance this important mission.

Talks by Mohamad E. Allaf, MD

Role of Lymphadenectomy in the Surgical Treatment of Clinical Localized Prostate Cancer

Posted by Mohamad E. Allaf, MD | Aug 2024

Mohamad E. Allaf, MD, discusses the use cases for lymphadenectomy in the surgical treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer. Dr. Allaf begins by addressing the rationale for performing lymphadenectomy, emphasizing its diagnostic and therapeutic potential in prostate cancer management.

A central focus of the presentation is the debate surrounding lymphadenectomy and its implications for patient outcomes. Dr. Allaf reviews the current evidence, highlighting studies that suggest extended lymphadenectomy may provide superior oncologic control by increasing the likelihood of detecting metastatic nodes in high- and intermediate-risk patients. Dr. Allaf also delves into the nuances of patient selection and determining when and how to integrate lymphadenectomy into the surgical treatment of prostate cancer.

Role of Neoadjuvant/ Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Patients with Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma: The PROSPER Trial and Beyond

Posted by Mohamad E. Allaf, MD | May 2024

Mohamad E. Allaf, MD, reviews current literature on the role of neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy in treating localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). He begins by establishing that surgical monotherapy fails to cure a significant proportion of patients with “localized” RCC thanks to micrometastatic disease.

Dr. Allaf then discusses how the inclusion of neoadjuvant therapies reduces the size of the tumor, controls potential metastases at the earliest point, and provides a litmus test for how appropriate it would be to treat the patient with surgical monotherapy. He also addresses adjuvant therapies, which can lower the likelihood of recurrence, and prolong patient survival. He acknowledges that older studies of adjuvant Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) therapy for RCC were negative, resulting in high toxicity and low effectiveness in treatment.

Dr. Allaf compares the performance of recent neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibitors in the metastatic setting to the current standard of care, demonstrating that the durability of disease response continued even after the discontinuation of the therapy. He then explores the rationale and early results supporting the administration of neoadjuvant therapy in localized RCC, and how they laid the groundwork for the PROSPER trial.

The PROSPER trial was a Phase III international, randomized trial which examined the effect of a single dose of neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibitors 7-28 days before partial or radical nephrectomy. He presents the study design, the cohort composition, and the results, which did not support the use of neoadjuvant therapy for RCC patients.

Dr. Allaf concludes by presenting multiple recent studies supporting the use of adjuvant therapy for intermediate-high-risk and high-risk RCC patients. While adjuvant therapy has been approved for use by the FDA, additional trials and investigations are still needed to advance the field.