Richard E. Greenberg, MD, FACS
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Clinical Locations
Primary Location
Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Secondary Locations
Fox Chase Cancer Center Huntingdon Pike
8 Huntingdon Pike
Rockledge, PA 19046
Fox Chase Cancer Center East Norriton-Hospital Outpatient Center
2701 Dekalb Pike
East Norriton, PA 19401
Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology
Carol and Louis Della Penna Chair in Urologic Oncology
Master Clinician
Professor, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University
NCCN, Bladder/Penile Cancers Panel Member
Specialties
Research Program
Key Awards
 |
| Urology |
Treatment Philosophy
I joined the staff at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1983 as the first dedicated urologist. This gave me the opportunity to build a strong urology program—one that provides expert surgical care for patients with urologic cancers and their related medical issues. After all this time, the best part of my job is the smiles and gratitude I get from patients and family because of the effort put forth on their behalf, regardless of the eventual outcome.
During my training, I chose the field of urology because it offers a surgical subspecialty that encompasses many physiologic problems that require long-term 'medical' as well as surgical options. I have the opportunity for long-term follow-up of patients, rather than simply performing an operation and then sending them to another doctor for long-term care. Also, the immediate relief sometimes offered to patients feeds my own need for more immediate gratification with patient care and outcome than other areas of medicine.
I look at the whole patient and try to understand their needs within the realm of their family and their specific stage of cancer. I then try to choose the best long-term approach for every patient. I believe that our multispecialty approach to cancer benefits patients. For example, we encourage our prostate cancer patients to consider all types of treatment available to them at Fox Chase, as well as outside of the institution, prior to a final decision.
As a full-time physician at Fox Chase, I have no financial pressure to suggest surgery over a non-surgical option. Rather, I offer the best treatment plan individually tailored to the needs of the patient. I also stress quality as well as quantity of life issues. I am not afraid to tell a patient that surgery is not indicated if it is not in their best interest--even if they had decided that was how they wanted to be treated prior to our consultation. Learning whom to operate on and how to operate, but also whom not to operate on is a skill learned over many years.
I have been a urologist for three decades and have seen advances in technology that are too numerous to mention--but all have helped surgeons improve outcomes. Improvements in managing infections with new antibiotics have changed the face of modern urology. Improvements in both early diagnosis and treatment of almost all of the tumors urologists treat are apparent and constantly moving toward to the goal of cure without toxicity (or side effects).
An excellent example of technological advances is the DaVinci-S surgical robot which allows me to perform laparoscopic anatomical nerve sparing prostatectomies in appropriate patients. Learning this technical skill has been a worthwhile endeavor as it has improved the quality of care I can deliver to those patients with early stage prostate cancer.
Follow on Twitter:@FCUroOnc
Educational Background
- Resident, General Surgery, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
- Resident, Surgery (Urology), New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
- Resident, Surgery (Urology), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- MD, Cornell University Medical College, Ithaca, NY, 1976
Certifications
- AUA Board of Urology, 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015
Memberships
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
- Bladder/Penile Cancers Panel
- American College of Surgeons
- American Urological Association
- Philadelphia Urological Society
- Society of Urologic Oncology
Honors & Awards
- Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors, 2009-20
- Best Doctors in America® , 2014, 2019-2020, Urology
- America’s Top Doctors®, 2015-17
- 2016 AUA Annual Resident Teaching Award
'Cowboy' Jack Novek
'Cowboy' Jack Novek
I am 78 years old and have owned horses for 68 of those years. I am a cowboy through and through. My father gave me my first pony when I was just five years old and my first horse when I was 10. I have had hundreds of horses since. I also used to train the ponies down at the race track. 
Howard Tomlinson
Howard Tomlinson
I’m 66 years old and a resident of
Walter Masinick
Walter Masinick
The biopsy came back positive even though all my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests were normal at the time. The doctor suggested I get checked in about a year, but I wanted something done sooner and decided to get a second opinion.
Stephen Harkavy
Stephen Harkavy
When Stephen Harkavy, a retired surgeon, was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 65, he knew immediately where he would seek treatment: Fox Chase Cancer Center. Stephen underwent an assisted, minimally-invasive radical prostatectomy, with outstanding results. "When anyone asks me where to go when they have cancer, without reservation I recommend Fox Chase in general and Dr. Richard Greenberg in particular for anyone requiring urologic cancer surgery."
Louis Della Penna
Louis Della Penna
Louis Della Penna made an appointment at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1994 because he was concerned about a chronic sore throat. It was the best decision he made since he learned shortly after that he had kidney cancer. Louis underwent surgery to remove the cancer from his kidney and surrounding tissue. Today he is cancer free and supports programs at Fox Chase, including two endowments he and his wife funded. "My feelings for Fox Chase are very strong," he said. "If you want to support something wonderful, there is no better place to give, no matter what your contribution. I am cancer free today, and I continue to return to Fox Chase for follow-up visits. It’s an amazing story."
Pages
Selected Publications
Correa AF, Handorf E, Joshi SS, Geynisman DM, Kutikov A, Chen DY, Uzzo RG, Viterbo R, Greenberg RE, Smaldone MC. Differences in Survival Associated with Performance of Lymph Node Dissection in Patients with Invasive Penile Cancer: Results from the National Cancer Database. J Urol, 199(5):1238-44, 2018. PubMed
Hahn NM, Bivalacqua TJ, Ross AE, Netto GJ, Baras AS, Park JC, Chapman C, Masterson TA, Koch MO, Bihrle R, Foster RS, Gardner TA, Cheng L, Jones DR, McElyea K, Sandusky GE, Breen T, Liu Z, Albany C, Moore ML, Loman RA, Reed A, Turner SA, de Abreu FB, Gallagher TL, Tsongalis GJ, Plimack ER, Greenberg RE, Geynisman DM. A PHASE II TRIAL OF DOVITINIB IN BCG-UNRESPONSIVE UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA WITH FGFR3 MUTATIONS OR OVER-EXPRESSION: HOOSIER CANCER RESEARCH NETWORK TRIAL HCRN 12-157. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2016 PubMed
Johnson ME, Zaorsky NG, Martin JM, Ruth K, Greenberg RE, Uzzo RG, Hayes SB, Smaldone MC, Kutikov A, Viterbo R, Chen DY, Hallman MA, Sobczak ML, Horwitz EM. Patient reported outcomes among treatment modalities for prostate cancer. The Canadian journal of urology, 23(6):8535-45, 2016. PubMed
Jung K, Ghatalia P, Litwin S, Horwitz EM, Uzzo RG, Greenberg RE, Viterbo R, Geynisman DM, Kutikov A, Plimack ER, Smaldone MC, Wong YN, Bilusic M. Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder: 20-Year Single-Institution Retrospective Review. Clinical genitourinary cancer, 2016. PubMed
Surgical Apgar Score predicts an increased risk of major complications and death after renal mass excision.Ito T, Abbosh PH, Mehrazin R, Tomaszewski JJ, Li T, et al.The Journal of urology. 2015; 193(6):1918-22. PubMed
Is extended pharmacologic venous thromboembolism prophylaxis uniformly safe after radical cystectomy? Mehrazin R, Piotrowski Z, Egleston B, Parker D, Tomaszweski JJ, et al.Urology. 2014; 84(5):1152-6. PubMed
Additional Publications
Clinical Locations
Primary Location
Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Secondary Locations
Fox Chase Cancer Center Huntingdon Pike
8 Huntingdon Pike
Rockledge, PA 19046
Fox Chase Cancer Center East Norriton-Hospital Outpatient Center
2701 Dekalb Pike
East Norriton, PA 19401
Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology
Carol and Louis Della Penna Chair in Urologic Oncology
Master Clinician
Professor, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University
NCCN, Bladder/Penile Cancers Panel Member
Research Program
Key Awards
|
| Urology |
Treatment Philosophy
I joined the staff at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1983 as the first dedicated urologist. This gave me the opportunity to build a strong urology program—one that provides expert surgical care for patients with urologic cancers and their related medical issues. After all this time, the best part of my job is the smiles and gratitude I get from patients and family because of the effort put forth on their behalf, regardless of the eventual outcome.
During my training, I chose the field of urology because it offers a surgical subspecialty that encompasses many physiologic problems that require long-term 'medical' as well as surgical options. I have the opportunity for long-term follow-up of patients, rather than simply performing an operation and then sending them to another doctor for long-term care. Also, the immediate relief sometimes offered to patients feeds my own need for more immediate gratification with patient care and outcome than other areas of medicine.
I look at the whole patient and try to understand their needs within the realm of their family and their specific stage of cancer. I then try to choose the best long-term approach for every patient. I believe that our multispecialty approach to cancer benefits patients. For example, we encourage our prostate cancer patients to consider all types of treatment available to them at Fox Chase, as well as outside of the institution, prior to a final decision.
As a full-time physician at Fox Chase, I have no financial pressure to suggest surgery over a non-surgical option. Rather, I offer the best treatment plan individually tailored to the needs of the patient. I also stress quality as well as quantity of life issues. I am not afraid to tell a patient that surgery is not indicated if it is not in their best interest--even if they had decided that was how they wanted to be treated prior to our consultation. Learning whom to operate on and how to operate, but also whom not to operate on is a skill learned over many years.
I have been a urologist for three decades and have seen advances in technology that are too numerous to mention--but all have helped surgeons improve outcomes. Improvements in managing infections with new antibiotics have changed the face of modern urology. Improvements in both early diagnosis and treatment of almost all of the tumors urologists treat are apparent and constantly moving toward to the goal of cure without toxicity (or side effects).
An excellent example of technological advances is the DaVinci-S surgical robot which allows me to perform laparoscopic anatomical nerve sparing prostatectomies in appropriate patients. Learning this technical skill has been a worthwhile endeavor as it has improved the quality of care I can deliver to those patients with early stage prostate cancer.
Follow on Twitter:@FCUroOnc
Education
Educational Background
- Resident, General Surgery, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
- Resident, Surgery (Urology), New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
- Resident, Surgery (Urology), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- MD, Cornell University Medical College, Ithaca, NY, 1976
Certifications
- AUA Board of Urology, 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015
Memberships
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
- Bladder/Penile Cancers Panel
- American College of Surgeons
- American Urological Association
- Philadelphia Urological Society
- Society of Urologic Oncology
Honors & Awards
- Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors, 2009-20
- Best Doctors in America® , 2014, 2019-2020, Urology
- America’s Top Doctors®, 2015-17
- 2016 AUA Annual Resident Teaching Award
Research Profile
Research Interests
- GU Malignancies
Publications
Selected Publications
Correa AF, Handorf E, Joshi SS, Geynisman DM, Kutikov A, Chen DY, Uzzo RG, Viterbo R, Greenberg RE, Smaldone MC. Differences in Survival Associated with Performance of Lymph Node Dissection in Patients with Invasive Penile Cancer: Results from the National Cancer Database. J Urol, 199(5):1238-44, 2018. PubMed
Hahn NM, Bivalacqua TJ, Ross AE, Netto GJ, Baras AS, Park JC, Chapman C, Masterson TA, Koch MO, Bihrle R, Foster RS, Gardner TA, Cheng L, Jones DR, McElyea K, Sandusky GE, Breen T, Liu Z, Albany C, Moore ML, Loman RA, Reed A, Turner SA, de Abreu FB, Gallagher TL, Tsongalis GJ, Plimack ER, Greenberg RE, Geynisman DM. A PHASE II TRIAL OF DOVITINIB IN BCG-UNRESPONSIVE UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA WITH FGFR3 MUTATIONS OR OVER-EXPRESSION: HOOSIER CANCER RESEARCH NETWORK TRIAL HCRN 12-157. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2016 PubMed
Johnson ME, Zaorsky NG, Martin JM, Ruth K, Greenberg RE, Uzzo RG, Hayes SB, Smaldone MC, Kutikov A, Viterbo R, Chen DY, Hallman MA, Sobczak ML, Horwitz EM. Patient reported outcomes among treatment modalities for prostate cancer. The Canadian journal of urology, 23(6):8535-45, 2016. PubMed
Jung K, Ghatalia P, Litwin S, Horwitz EM, Uzzo RG, Greenberg RE, Viterbo R, Geynisman DM, Kutikov A, Plimack ER, Smaldone MC, Wong YN, Bilusic M. Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder: 20-Year Single-Institution Retrospective Review. Clinical genitourinary cancer, 2016. PubMed
Surgical Apgar Score predicts an increased risk of major complications and death after renal mass excision.Ito T, Abbosh PH, Mehrazin R, Tomaszewski JJ, Li T, et al.The Journal of urology. 2015; 193(6):1918-22. PubMed
Is extended pharmacologic venous thromboembolism prophylaxis uniformly safe after radical cystectomy? Mehrazin R, Piotrowski Z, Egleston B, Parker D, Tomaszweski JJ, et al.Urology. 2014; 84(5):1152-6. PubMed
Additional Publications
Related Articles
61 PATIENT COMMENTS
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5.0
June 13, 2022
Dr. Greenberg is excellent!!! As is his staff. Very caring and concerned. All are like family.
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5.0
May 25, 2022
My experience with [...] has always been number one. Dr. Greenberg is the best.
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5.0
May 23, 2022
They are the best so glad I went there for treatment.
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5.0
May 13, 2022
Always a good experience with this provider and his team.
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5.0
April 27, 2022
Dr. Greenberg ranks as one of the best doctors I have ever dealt with. He is kind, caring and extremely bright.
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5.0
April 15, 2022
Fox Chase and Dr. Greenberg alike have been excellent to my family and I - I am grateful for them.
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No Star Ratings Available
April 08, 2022
Dr. Greenberg is AWESOME! My best friend went to him and highly recommended Dr. Greenberg. I don't regret the decision at all.
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5.0
April 08, 2022
Good care of me. Thank you Dr. Richard Greenberg, MD and staff.
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No Star Ratings Available
April 05, 2022
Dr Greenberg explains the situation thoroughly. The call was to give me the results of my tests.
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5.0
April 02, 2022
I drove a long way to see Dr. Greenberg and I am glad I did.
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5.0
March 12, 2022
Dr.Greenberg is a great doctor which you would expect at Fox Chase but he is a great and caring person also.
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5.0
March 11, 2022
Over all excellent
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No Star Ratings Available
March 05, 2022
Dr. Greenberg is the best!
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5.0
February 28, 2022
I came for a second opinion and Dr. Greenberg answered all of my questions and make us feel very comfortable about the options that were offered to me by own Doctor. I was very appreciative of him taking his valuable time to give me a very appreciated 2nd opinion!
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5.0
February 23, 2022
Excellent care & service.
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5.0
February 21, 2022
I felt my concerns were well addressed and respected.
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No Star Ratings Available
February 03, 2022
The doctor provided excellent information. Very easy to talk to and seemed genuinely concerned. Answered my questions with easy to understand explanations. Top notch, which is why I chose Fox Chase for a second opinion.
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5.0
February 01, 2022
Dr Greenberg and staff are wonderful.
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5.0
January 19, 2022
Excellent first visit. Dr. Greenberg is just what I needed. His staff, including [...] & [...] were so friendly & helpful. [...]
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5.0
December 20, 2021
The quality of care has always been excellent at Fox Chase
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