Alexander Kenigsberg, MD

A ‘focus’ on forward-thinking urologic cancer care

​At VCU Health Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Alexander Kenigsberg isn’t just treating cancer — he’s redefining what’s possible in urologic oncology.

From the growing knowledge around prostate, kidney and bladder cancers biology to bringing patients new clinical trial opportunities and staying on top of innovative surgical approaches, Kenigsberg uses every tool in the chest to get his patients the best outcomes with the least disruption to their lives.

“VCU Health is an incredible environment to practice medicine and in particular cancer care,” says Kenigsberg. Not every patient needs surgery, he notes. “In fact, many patients with low-grade prostate cancers and small kidney cancers can be monitored with high-quality imaging tests,” he says.

For those who do require surgery, Kenigsberg is a high-volume robotic surgeon who routinely removes urologic cancers with techniques particular to each patient’s disease. For larger tumors that cannot be not handled robotically, he performs open operations, such as radical nephrectomy for large kidney masses.

Among the more groundbreaking approaches that Kenigsberg and Massey offer is High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), a non-invasive treatment targeting cancerous prostate tissue while preserving surrounding healthy tissue, thereby enhancing patients’ quality of life. HIFU is a “focal therapy” using precise targeting to deliver treatment directly to cancerous cells — akin to light rays passing through a magnifying glass to heat a focused point. Focal therapy is an outpatient procedure.

Kenigsberg is the Director of Urologic Oncology at Massey and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology. He’s a graduate of the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, followed with an internship and residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Later, at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, he underwent fellowship training in urologic cancer surgery — additional education that, while not necessary for surgeons, offers supplemental skills and opportunities to master their discipline.

Still, he and other Massey and VCU providers never work alone. Kenigsberg extensively collaborates with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists and pathologists. “Modern-day cancer care requires a high-performing, interdisciplinary team, which we have here at VCU Health and Massey,” he says. Teams meet at least weekly to discuss complex cases and routinely discuss patients who require complex coordination, while cancer-specific nurse navigators help facilitate patient and provider communication.

Kenigsberg is also actively involved in clinical research — and translating studies into action. His interests include uncovering less invasive treatments for cancers in ways that preserve organs, along research around focal therapy like HIFU. He is a member of the Focal Therapy Society, the thought-leading organization on responsible deployment of minimally invasive treatments.

He is also bringing large, multi-cancer center clinical trials to VCU and Massey “that help move our field forward,” he says. “Access to cutting-edge clinical trials in urologic cancers is critical for providing high-level care. And it’s something I am extremely proud to bring to VCU and the greater Richmond community.”