Yair Lotan, M.D.

Yair Lotan, M.D., was born to be a physician: His parents are retired cancer researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and both of his brothers are also doctors.

“With my parents both being scientists, I couldn’t help but be interested in science, too,” he says.

A board-certified urologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Lotan uses minimally invasive, robotic, and open surgical techniques to treat bladder, prostate, kidney, ureteral, and testicular cancer. He was the first in North Texas to perform a robotic cystectomy, or removal of the bladder. He also treats kidney stones endoscopically and percutaneously.

"We routinely treat patients with advanced urologic cancers, rather than just seeing one or two per year."

Professor of Urology, Chief of Urologic Oncology, and holder of the Helen J. and Robert S. Strauss Professorship in Urology at UT Southwestern, Dr. Lotan is also Medical Director of the Urology Clinic at Parkland Health & Hospital System. He is nationally recognized for his research on urine markers in bladder cancer and molecular markers in other urologic cancers.

“Molecular markers help us identify patients who are at a higher risk for recurrent cancer so we can recommend the appropriate treatment for them,” he says. “And on the flip side, if their cancer is unlikely to recur, we can try to reduce the number of treatments so they don’t have as many side effects.”

Dr. Lotan enjoys getting to know his patients and educating them so they can make informed decisions about their urologic care and procedures.

“Cancer impacts all aspects of your life and it is important to consider not only how to treat the cancer but also how to minimize side effects and improve quality of life,” he says. “Patients also want to be educated and involved in their decisions so they can get the best possible outcomes.”