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Pictured: Karen Autio

Karen A. Autio, MD, MSc

Genitourinary Medical Oncologist & Early Drug Development Specialist

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Prostate Cancer
  • New Investigational Agents, including Immunotherapy
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Dr. Autio's Office Information
Languages: English
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About Me

What I Do at MSK
  • Assistant Attending Physician
Get To Know Me

I am a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of prostate cancer. I’m fortunate to be a member of both the Immunotherapeutics Service and the Genitourinary Service because advances in one field can often help in another.

This provider is part of a team that was ranked #1 in the nation for Urology Cancer Care this year by U.S. News & World Report.
Read more

On the Immunotherapy Service, I evaluate novel immunotherapies for phase I clinical trials and treat patients throughout MSK with different types of metastatic cancer who are participating in these studies. My research also focuses on immunologic strategies for the treatment of metastatic disease. I’ve seen some of the wonderful successes that immunotherapy has achieved in cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lung cancer, and I strive to find the right immunotherapy for prostate cancer patients who may benefit from this approach.

For this reason, we offer men with metastatic prostate cancer and those at high risk for disease recurrence access to trials. Our clinical trials for prostate cancer include those that test new agents, imaging techniques, and therapies that target pathways we believe are important in prostate cancer. Some patients perceive clinical trials as a last resort, but this is often not the case. I want to be certain that my patients know all their options, whether it is standard-of-care treatments or a cutting-edge clinical trial.  

On the Genitourinary Service, I’m part of a dedicated team that includes radiation oncologists and surgeons. My colleagues and I take an individual approach to each person’s care. In my clinical practice, I treat men with recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer as well as provide consultation to men with localized disease who are trying to decide upon the most appropriate treatment option for them — for example, choosing between surgery, active surveillance, and radiation therapy.

I chose to work in oncology because I wanted to care for people at a critical time in their lives. I love working at MSK because I believe we’re all here for the right reasons: We feel privileged to care for patients; we’re committed to science, research, and innovation; and we’re proud to offer patients access to the latest and most effective treatments available.

My Role at MSK

A genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) medical oncologist is a cancer doctor who specializes in genitourinary (GU) cancers. This includes bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicular cancers.

An early drug development specialist tests new drugs to treat cancer. They have special training in research studies, known as clinical trials.

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Prostate Cancer
  • New Investigational Agents, including Immunotherapy
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Stony Brook University Medical School
  • MSc, University of Virginia Department of Public Health Sciences

Residencies

  • University of Virginia Hospital

Awards and Honors

  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Recipient, Clinical Investigator Track (funded master’s in clinical research during medical residency)
  • American Society of Hematology Trainee Award
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Merit Award

Fellowships

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Aetna

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (MTA and NYC retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Anthem BCBS and other BCBS licensee plans

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

See updates

Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

See updates

Carrum Health

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

Cigna

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.

Emblem Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage (Medicare Choice PPO Network and VIP Prime Network Only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Empire Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Empire Plan / NYSHIP (Blue Cross/UnitedHealthcare split plan)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

Fidelis

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Healthfirst

In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

In Network Coverage Type
PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier I (EPO)

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier II (EPO)

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

Horizon Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Magnacare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

MVP

In Network Coverage Type
PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

In Network Coverage Type
TBD

Oscar

In Network Coverage Type
HMO/EPO

Oxford

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Qualcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

UMR

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS

United Healthcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

Make an Appointment

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Current Patients
Request an appointment by logging on to MyMSK or calling your doctor’s office. If you aren’t registered for MyMSK, call 646-227-2593 for your Enrollment ID.

Contact and Location

Dr. Autio sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers
353 East 68th Street New York NY 10065
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Looking to see a doctor at a different location? See all MSK locations.

Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Early Drug Development Service doctors

See all Genitourinary Oncology Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Smiling doctors in the lab
Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

Search clinical trials

Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Autio’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Karen A. Autio discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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