Urology
Our Team
Our Physicians
Ganesh S. Palapattu, M.D.
Are barbecues bad for your health?
Possibly, says Dr. Ganesh S. Palapattu, a specialist in urologic oncology. “If you eat barbecued red meat every meal, three times a day, for several years, odds are you will have several medical problems! But there is no evidence that an occasional barbecue meal will do anything but satisfy your hunger.” Dr. Palapattu, a surgeon-scientist, is involved in translational research as well as teaching and clinical practice.
He says his current laboratory research involves, among other things, “examining the interaction of specific dietary factors and the process of inflammation on the development of prostate cancer. A growing body of evidence suggests that agents that incite inflammation may interact with dietary carcinogens to induce the development of prostate cancer. My lab also seeks to understand the role of bone marrow derived cells in this process.” The carcinogens he is studying are derived from the byproducts of charred meat – specifically red meats – the kind we often find on the barbecue grill.
As a patient centered physician, he says he is “truthful, compassionate, and caring, and provides as much information as possible to his patients. I want to give my patients all the treatment options available – whether I provide them or not.” Of course he probably can provide them, considering he has expertise in virtually all forms of urologic cancer surgery, including traditional, endoscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery as well as radioactive seed implantation. Still, he says, “I give them my proposed treatment plan with accompanying rationale, but recognize that in the end it’s their choice.” In addition, he states, “I treat people with urologic cancers and feel that it is a privilege to have a person’s cancer care entrusted to me. I take this responsibility extremely seriously.”
All this might keep an ordinary person busy enough, but Dr. Palapattu’s interests are even broader. As a young man in Houston, he was deeply involved in music. “I played the French horn for over 10 years as a member of numerous musical groups, including the Houston Youth Symphony,” he says. In fact, he was a Texas state champion for French horn soloists. In college, at the University of Texas in Austin, he was a Humanities major with a concentration in South Asian Studies. “I wanted to learn more about my own cultural background. But I always had an interest in medicine and helping people. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor.” He obtained is medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine and received his urological training at UCLA. He then completed a fellowship in urologic cancer at Johns Hopkins before joining Strong and the University of Rochester School of Medicine in September 2005.
But despite all his work in surgery and science – and music – if you ask him what he’s proudest of, he quickly answers, “My wife and baby girl. They are the best!”
Contact Information
Box 656
601 Elmwood Ave
Rochester, NY 14642-8656
Phone: 585-275-3341
Fax: 585-273-1068
Faculty Title
Assistant Professor of Urology
Medical School
Baylor College of Medicine, 1997
Residency
Surgical Internship, UCLA Affiliated Hospitals/UCLA School of Medicine, 1997-1998
Urology, UCLA Affiliated Hospitals/UCLA School of Medicine, 1998-2003
Fellowship
Urologic Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2003-2005
Special Interests
Urologic oncology (prostate cancer, testicular mass or cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, adrenal tumor, penile cancer, urethral cancer), hematuria (blood in urine), elevated PSA, prostate nodule