SUMMARY
While Igor Frank, M.D., has published articles on many different urologic malignancies, his primary research focus at this time is pelvic malignancies, including prostate and bladder cancers. Dr. Frank heads the Mayo Clinic bladder removal (cystectomy) registry and oversees a large number of clinical projects based on it.
Focus areas
- Prostate cancer. Treatment of prostate cancer, both organ-confined and locally advanced, constitutes the majority of Dr. Frank's clinical practice. His research interests focus on clinical outcomes, post-treatment surveillance, quality of life and the impact of minimally invasive technology on treatment outcomes. He is also actively involved in the development and refinement of clinical care pathways for prostatectomy patients.
- Bladder cancer. Dr. Frank chairs the Mayo Clinic cystectomy registry, one of the largest databases in the world for patients with bladder cancer who receive surgical treatment. This state-of-the-art cancer registry forms the foundation for many basic science and clinical research projects. It has resulted in multiple scientific publications and presentations at national and international meetings. Dr. Frank's research interests include outcomes research, investigation of impact of clinical interventions and clinical pathway development.
Significance to patient care
The great majority of Dr. Frank's research is clinical, with a direct impact on patient care. He utilizes the large amount of clinical experience and data available at Mayo Clinic to address important clinical questions. The spectrum of clinical issues directly impacted by Dr. Frank's research includes optimal cancer-related care, preoperative and postoperative care, clinical and post-surgery recovery pathways, and postoperative cancer surveillance, among others.