Ask Dr. McDermott and Dr. Wagner
Dr. McDermott and Dr. Wagner sat down to answer some of the most pressing and frequently asked questions from our patients. While there is a great deal of health information available in books and online, our co-directors offer first-hand experience as to the types of treatment that you might receive at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Click on the photo captions for each doctor's Q/A session.
Dr. David F. McDermott is Co-Director of the Renal Tumor Program. He is Clinical Director of the Biologic Therapy Program, nationally recognized for its contributions to the biologic treatment of cancer using cytokines, vaccines and other novel agents. Dr. McDermott graduated from Amherst College and Cornell University Medical College. He completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Tufts/New England Medical Center. As clinical investigator in oncology at BIDMC, Dr. McDermott focuses on the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Dr. McDermott was co-investigator and lead author for the Phase III randomized trial of High-Dose Interleukin-2 versus Interleukin-2/Interferon in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. He is principal investigator for ECOG protocol 2803, a phase II trial of carboplatin and taxol in patients with metastatic collecting duct tumors. He is also co-chair for ECOG 2804, a multi-arm randomized phase II of targeted therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Dr. McDermott is currently developing a randomized phase II trial that aims to explore methods of overcoming resistance in patients who are treated with VEGFR TKIs.
Dr. Andrew A. Wagner is Co-Director of the Renal Tumor Program and Director of Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at BIDMC. Dr. Wagner graduated from Boston University’s College of Engineering and SUNY at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He completed his general surgery urology training at the University of Massachusetts Hospital in Worcester, and went on to complete a fellowship in laparoscopy and minimally invasive urologic surgery at the Brady Urologic Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He is considered an expert in kidney cancer surgery and has performed hundreds of surgeries for kidney cancer, including open and laparoscopic radical and partial nephrectomies. Dr. Wagner’s primary clinical interest includes minimally invasive urology, focusing on laparoscopic and percutaneous treatment of renal tumors. He belongs to the American Urological Association and Endourological Society.
