Robert G. Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, and Fernando J. Kim, MD, MBA, FACS, presented “Guidelines for Surgery in Urologic Cancer Patients Amid COVID-19 Outbreak” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in March, 2020.
How to cite: Uzzo, Robert G. Kim, Fernando J. “Guidelines for Surgery in Urologic Cancer Patients Amid COVID-19 Outbreak” March, 2020. Accessed Oct 2026. https://grandroundsinurology.com/guidelines-for-surgery-in-urologic-cancer-patients-amid-covid-19-outbreak/
Guidelines for Surgery in Urologic Cancer Patients Amid COVID-19 Outbreak – Summary:
Robert G. Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, Chairman of the Department of Surgery and G. Willing “Wing” Pepper Endowed Professor of Surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center–Temple University Health System, and Fernando J. Kim, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Emeritus of Urology at Denver Health Medical Center, Professor of Surgery/Urology at the University of Colorado at Denver, and Associate Editor of the Patient Safety in Surgery Journal, discuss the rationale behind guidelines Dr. Uzzo helped develop for the American College of Surgeons and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on when and whether to delay surgical treatment for urologic cancer during the COVID-19 outbreak. They discuss the inconsistent initial approach to delaying surgeries, as well as the system of disease classification Dr. Uzzo has been using to identify which patients can wait, which should wait, and which can’t wait for their surgeries. With a focus on kidney cancer, Dr. Uzzo discusses how these classifications are made by identifying clinical capacity, physiological age of the patient, competing risks and comorbidities, and how difficult cases are determined with a consensus among colleagues. He gives examples of patients with low volume metastatic disease with excellent performance status or locally advanced disease as candidates for systemic therapy and a delay in surgery, while patients with aggressive disease that may progress rapidly as requiring immediate treatment despite the risk of COVID-19 infection.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert G. Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Chase Cancer Center and Executive Vice President for Cancer Services at Temple University Health System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also serves as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Cancer Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and holds the G. Willing “Wing” Pepper Chair in Cancer Research.
An internationally recognized urologic oncologist, surgeon, and researcher, Dr. Uzzo specializes in the surgical management of genitourinary malignancies, including kidney, prostate, bladder, and testicular cancers. His clinical and research interests focus on renal cell carcinoma, organ-preserving surgical approaches, clinical decision-making, and the development of innovative therapies for urologic cancers. He has participated in numerous national and international clinical trials and developed the R.E.N.A.L. Nephrometry Scoring System, which helps assess the complexity of kidney tumors and guide surgical planning.
Dr. Uzzo earned his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and completed his general surgery and urology training at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He subsequently completed fellowships in urologic oncology and renal transplantation at Cleveland Clinic. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
A prolific author, educator, and clinical investigator, Dr. Uzzo has contributed extensively to peer-reviewed publications, medical textbooks, and research in urologic oncology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a diplomate of the American Board of Urology, and an elected member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons and the Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons. His contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Society of Urologic Oncology Medal.
