Meet Urologic Surgeon Karim Touijer

Karim A. Touijer, MD, MPH

Surgeon

Titles

Attending Surgeon

Clinical Expertise

Urologic Oncology; Prostate Cancer; Kidney Cancer; Adrenal Cancer; Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery; Nerve Sparing Surgery

Share

New Patient Appointments

Scheduling a visit is easy. Click below or call us to get started.

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., (Eastern time)
Accepted Insurance Providers

Dr. Touijer accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.

Aetna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (City of NY retirees only, starting 9/1/23)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Carrum Health

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

Cigna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

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

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Fidelis

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

First Health

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Healthfirst

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

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

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

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

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Magnacare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

MVP

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

Payor Type: Other
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): TBD

Oscar

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO/EPO

Oxford

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Qualcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

UMR

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS

United Healthcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Contact and Location

Locations map
Find a Convenient Location

Memorial Sloan Kettering has locations throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. These locations offer many services, including screening, chemotherapy, and medical testing.

See all locations

About Me

Education

MPH, Harvard School of Public Health; MD, Universite Hassan II

Residencies

Urology - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire; Family Medicine - University of Kansas Medical Center; General Surgery - University of Kansas Medical Center; Urology - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Fellowships

Urologic Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Advanced Laparoscopy - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

Urology

I am a board-certified surgeon who specializes in caring for patients with genitourinary cancers, including cancers of the prostate, kidney, bladder, and adrenal glands. I have been practicing at MSK for more than 13 years. My primary focus is on the use and development of innovative minimally invasive surgical techniques — such as laparoscopy, robot-assisted laparoscopy, and image-guided therapies — to treat genitourinary cancers.

Read more

I am committed to offering all my patients personalized care with the objective of providing the right treatment for the right cancer in the right patient at the right time.

To achieve this goal in prostate cancer, I use modern risk-assessment tools such as nomograms; multiparametric MRI, which evaluates the extent of disease; repeat biopsies; and highly sophisticated genomic testing of tumors. In addition, I strive to provide the best outcome for each one of my patients through careful surgical planning, meticulous surgical technique, and selective use of multimodality therapy.

I work closely with my colleagues in medical and radiation oncology to determine the best approach for men with high-risk prostate cancer who have metastases to the lymph nodes.

In men with low-risk prostate cancer, I often recommend active surveillance (also known as watchful waiting) to avoid unnecessary treatment and to help patients enjoy their quality of life to the fullest extent possible.

I perform approximately four to six prostate cancer surgeries a week and about 150 to 200 each year. I’m an expert in laparoscopic and robot-assisted nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy with thorough pelvic lymph node dissection. I also have vast experience in laparoscopic and robot-assisted salvage radical prostatectomies for men whose cancer has recurred after initial radiation therapy.

For the treatment of kidney cancer — and in partnership with my patients — I use a risk/benefit strategy based on state-of-the-art imaging, predictive modeling and, when appropriate, needle biopsy data to determine the optimal management of their disease. Treatment options we consider include active surveillance; ablative therapies in which extreme cold or heat are used to destroy a tumor; partial nephrectomy, meaning that only the part of the kidney with cancer is removed, leaving as much healthy kidney as possible; or radical nephrectomy, in which the entire kidney is removed.  

Minimally invasive partial nephrectomy represents close to 90 percent of the kidney surgeries I perform. To do these surgeries successfully, I have developed with my colleagues at MSK a novel anatomical risk assessment tool to help inform patients about the complexity of the procedure and provide surgeons with a roadmap for the actual operation itself.

My clinical research focuses on improving surgical quality and introducing new techniques to improve both the performance and outcomes of surgery. From a translational research perspective, I’ve been actively working with my colleagues on MSK’s Nuclear Medicine Service and in our Nanotechnology Center to develop novel molecular imaging tracers that can visualize and distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. This is an important step forward in allowing surgeons to see microscopic deposits of cancer cells and ensure their complete removal during surgery. We’re currently conducting two clinical trials of this exciting new technique.

I am a member of the Society of Urologic Oncology, the American Urological Association, the European Association of Urology, and other national and international societies. I teach advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery to members of the European Association of Urology and the American Association of Urology. In addition, I serve on the editorial board and as a reviewer for a number of peer-reviewed urology and cancer journals and lecture internationally on the role of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of prostate and kidney cancers.

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 Urology 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. Touijer’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.

Karim A. Touijer discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Elucida Oncology
    Intellectual Property Rights

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 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, 2021 through disclosure submission in spring 2022). 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].


View all disclosures