Medical Oncologist in Florida

[Shanti1]

Hi All-

Does anyone have suggestions for good MOs in Florida, preferably that specialize in Prostate Cancer? We are in Fort Lauderdale/Miami but would travel to Moffitt in Tampa or up to Orlando for someone excellent.

Thank you!

[Sapmiami]

We use Dr Negret at UM . He practices at Sylvester downtown or at Lennar in South Miami. Also a Dr Zarraga T MCI who specializes in pc. .... UM is very organized and it is great.

[Shanti1 in reply to Sapmiami]

Thank you.

[Bethpage]

We're in Vero Beach. We've been looking for a couple of years, have seen a couple. I didn't think to ask Sapmiami, to my shame. We've landed with Dr. Alan Nieder, Mount Sinai in Miami, only we're seeing him at his Aventura office. A CRN friend of mine and her SO both recommend him highly. I can report back after the 30th, but I'm pretty sure we're in good hands. Dr. Nieder does specialize in PCa. There aren't all that many who do.

[Sapmiami in reply to Bethpage]

Good choice! Thats who my friend Holli goes to

[Shanti1 in reply to Bethpage]

Thank you, please let me know how your appointment goes.

[Bethpage in reply to Shanti1]

Will do.

[AlanMeyer]

The University of Miami School of Medicine Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Here's the NCI web page on them: cancer.gov/research/nci-rol...

and here's their web page: umiamihealth.org/sylvester-...

I don't know any of the doctors there and can't say if their prostate cancer people are particularly good. Most of them appear to be surgeons. But it might be worth calling them and looking at the reviews of their doctors. It might be possible to get someone at the hospital itself to tell you who they think is their best prostate cancer specialist in medical oncology for prostate or genitourinary cancers.

Good luck.

Alan

[Shanti1 in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thank you Allen

[garyi]

Another good MO, that I've seen several times at Mount Sinai in Miami - Aventura, is Dr. Joseph Pizzolato. The cynic in me believes they ALL specialize in PCa, at least while they are with a PCa patient.

[Shanti1]

Dr. Pizzolato's profile says, "Dr. Pizzolato also has a strong interest in genitourinary cancers and is actively involved with novel therapies for prostate cancer." So that is good! Thank you!

[cholly75]

My former MO at Mayo Rochester recently moved to Moffat—Dr Manish Kohli. Excellent doc. Highly recommend. Researcher + compassion.

[Shanti1 in reply to cholly75]

Thank you, I will be taking time this weekend to look into this and suggestions from other members.

[rassusukumaran]

Hai, Have heard of a Steve Onik in the Fort Lauderdale area, who has apparently achieved remissions with revolutionary ablation therapy. Have been thinking of this treatment when my PCa stops responding to all other standatd treatments. I am from Malaysia.

[Shanti1 in reply to rassusukumaran]

Hi- Thanks for your reply. I think you are referring to Dr. Gary Onik. He is famous for pioneering localized (still in the prostate) prostate cancer treatment with MRI 3D mapping and focal cryoablation. I am not sure what your situation is, but he does not use this technique for metastatic disease, only for cancer in the gland and the prostate bed. I did see from his website that he uses some sort of immunotherapy for metastatic disease, but I am not sure what it is.

recurrentprostatecancer.com...

"Yes, we have cutting edge treatments for patients with metastatic disease and CRC (castrate-resistant prostate cancer). These treatments utilize our proprietary techniques and immunotherapy to harness your bodies defenses to fight your cancer."

He doesn't take insurance, so we wouldn't use him at this point, but will keep him in mind for the future. My husband's PSA is curently 0.071, we are considering early intervention with Lu-177 in Germany once PSA increases more and we can see it on a PSMA scan.

[rassusukumaran]

Thanks for the feedback and correction. My memory is mushy. I have advanced disease with bone mets and rising PSA after Zytiga has failed. My PSA is 14.4 and rising. Running out of options. Was considering Gary Onik if he can indeed pull it off. A long way from home and I bet he is not cheap.

[Shanti1 in reply to rassusukumaran]

I do not know if provenge is offered / covered by insurance where you are, but it is often given after Zytiga fails and before chemo and has been shown to extend survival. Have you considered Xofigo? In the US it is an option if you have bone mets and no soft-tissue mets. It is a radioactive isotope that targets bone mets.

There is also a lot of discussion on this forum about Lu-177 which is another radioactive isotope that can target both bone and soft tissue mets. It is offered in Europe, Australia, and India.

[NurseRatched]

We loved Dr. Michael Cusnir when we lived there. He practices out of Mt. Sinai and has offices both in Hollywood & Miami.

[Shanti1 in reply to NurseRatched]

He certainly has a high patient rating! Thank you.