Pictured: Karen Autio

Karen A. Autio, MD, MSc

Genitourinary Medical Oncologist & Early Drug Development Specialist

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions
  • Metastatic prostate cancer

My Specialties

  • Immunotherapy
  • Clinical trials
  • Early drug development
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Dr. Autio's Office Information
Languages: English
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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.
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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.

What I Do at MSK

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

I'm an early drug development specialist, which is a scientist who tests new drugs to treat cancer. I have special training in research studies, also known as clinical trials.

  • Assistant Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions
  • Metastatic prostate cancer

My Specialties

  • Immunotherapy
  • Clinical trials
  • Early drug development
Education & Honors

Education

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

Residencies

  • University of Virginia Hospital

Fellowships

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine

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

Insurance Information

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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.

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Current Patients
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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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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

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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.

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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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