James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D.

Kidney Cancer Specialist

Thanks in large part to the work of James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D., patients who come to UT Southwestern Medical Center for treatment of kidney cancer can access the most advanced therapies available, as well as a pipeline of promising new approaches based on a growing body of knowledge about the disease.

"Our patients are at the core of the kidney cancer program, and I’m here to assist them. I feel blessed, and privileged, that my profession as a physician allows me to care for people as their doctor."

A kidney cancer oncologist, Dr. Brugarolas leads UT Southwestern’s dedicated Kidney Cancer Program, one of only a few of its kind in the U.S. He says that patients benefit from the highly specialized care and team-approach the program offers.

“It’s important for patients to have physicians with extensive experience who are well versed with the drugs available for kidney cancer treatment and their side effects,” says Dr. Brugarolas. He specializes in the medical management of renal cell carcinoma, the most prevalent kind of kidney cancer among adults.

“We also work closely with UT Southwestern urologists, radiation oncologists, nephrologists, and many others to comprehensively care for our patients with kidney cancer and related conditions. This team approach offers great advantages to patients,” he says.

In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Brugarolas leads a busy research laboratory, where scientists are making promising advances in the understanding of how kidney cancer develops – and working to translate their discoveries into new therapies that target the disease’s molecular pathways.

Dr. Brugarolas was drawn to the specialty because he saw an opportunity to make a difference in treating a disease diagnosed in some 60,000 people in the U.S. each year – and for which there was only one FDA-approved therapy until 2005.