Dr. Richard R Barakat, MD - Reviews

I am a gynecologic surgeon who specializes in surgery for women with ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vulvar, or vaginal cancer. Each year, more than 500 patients newly diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer come to Memorial Sloan-Kettering for treatment, and in most cases surgery plays a role in their treatment. When possible, we use minimally invasive surgery (robotic or laparoscopic) to remove their tumors, which typically shortens hospital stays and allows patients to recuperate faster. My main areas of surgical expertise are advanced robotic and laparoscopic surgery for uterine cancer as well as radical procedures for debulking ovarian cancer. The latter involves removing not only the cancerous ovaries but as much other tissue that the cancer may have invaded as possible (such as portions of the bladder, bowel, and other sites in the upper abdomen). This makes the tumor much more responsive to additional treatment. I am also very involved in clinical research to help determine the best treatments for patients with gynecologic cancers, including studies that have helped show a benefit to the role of intraperitoneal therapy in the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer. I also was the lead investigator on several studies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. These include a study to compare the benefits of laparoscopic vs. standard surgery for patients with endometrial cancer. I joined the Memorial Sloan-Kettering staff in 1991 and became Chief of the Gynecology Service in the Department of Surgery in 2001. In addition to my clinical and research activities at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, I am actively involved in gynecologic oncology on a national level. I was the Vice Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Committee of the Gynecologic Oncology Group and still am actively involved with cancer prevention studies on that committee. I am currently the lead investigator on a national trial to evaluate the risk factors for the development of lymphedema (swelling of the lower extremities) following radical surgery for gynecologic cancer. I am also an examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition, I am a former president of both the Metropolitan Gynecologic Cancer Society and the New York Obstetrical Society. I serve as a reviewer for numerous medical journals and I am an associate editor of an Atlas of Procedures in Gynecologic Oncology. I am also one of the editors of the 5th edition of Principles and Practice of Gynecology Oncology, one of the leading texts in the field.