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Christopher Gaffney

Christopher Gaffney, MD

Urologic Surgeon

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions
  • Bladder cancer
  • Genitourinary cancers and conditions

My Specialties

  • Active Surveillance
  • Prostate Biopsy
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery
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Dr. Gaffney's Office Information
Languages: English
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About Me

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

As a urologic surgeon and oncologist, I specialize in treating genitourinary cancers including:

I see patients at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge and Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth locations in New Jersey and perform surgery at Memorial Hospital and the Josie Robertson Surgery Center in Manhattan.

My primary focus is on prostate cancer surgery. My practice emphasizes innovative approaches like active surveillance, transperineal prostate biopsy, and minimally invasive surgery, all designed to preserve both the quality and quantity of life that my patients and their families value.

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Having spent over a decade training in New York City after growing up in New Jersey, my goal is to bring the world-class care offered at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in Manhattan to patients in my home community. Whether I am practicing in the Basking Ridge or Monmouth MSK locations, I aim to provide compassionate and patient-centered care to my patients where they live and work.

A new cancer diagnosis can be challenging for a person and their family. It leads to many questions about what the diagnosis and treatments mean for a person’s quality and quantity of life. My job is to put the diagnosis in the context of your life and discuss options for treatment that align with your goals.

Whether it’s through active surveillance, surgery, or participating in the latest clinical trials, I work closely with a dedicated team of world-class radiologists, pathologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists so that my patients receive timely, effective, and compassionate care.

Outside of the clinic and the operating room, I’m also actively involved in research aimed at improving treatment options for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. My work focuses on developing new immune-directed therapies that can be combined with surgery to benefit my patients.

In my personal life, I’m a dedicated family man who loves spending time with my loved ones and staying active. On weekends, you’ll often find me down the shore with my family or playing soccer with my sons.

My Role at MSK

A urologic surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) (GU) system. This includes the bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicles.

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions
  • Bladder cancer
  • Genitourinary cancers and conditions
  • Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions

My Specialties

  • Active Surveillance
  • Prostate Biopsy
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery
Education & Honors

Education

  • BA, Cornell University
  • MD, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons

Residencies

  • Urology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Awards and Honors

  • Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award (2023)
  • American Urologic Association Research Fellow Award (2023)
  • Peter T. Scardino Leadership Award (2024)
  • The Chairman's Award for Excellence in Clinical Research (2024)

Fellowships

  • Urologic Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Urology Eligible

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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New Patients
Scheduling an appointment is easy. Click or call 800-525-2225— we’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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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. Gaffney sees patients at two locations.

Location
Basking Ridge, NJ
Middletown, NJ
Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge
136 Mountain View Boulevard Basking Ridge NJ 07920
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth
480 Red Hill Road Middletown NJ 07748
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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 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

Gaffney CD, Vertosick EA, Laudone V, Goh AC, Carlsson SV, Pietzak E, et al. Randomized Trial of Transverse vs Vertical Extraction Site Incision After Robotic Radical Prostatectomy. Journal of Urology [Internet]. 2024 Sep 1 [cited 2024 Aug 28];212(3):401–8.

Christopher D. Gaffney, Emily A. Vertosick, Sigrid V. Carlsson, Xin Lin, Natalie Wolchasty, Robin Hardbattle, Andrew J. Vickers, Behfar Ehdaie, A brief mind-body intervention to reduce pain and anxiety during prostate needle biopsy: a clinically integrated randomized controlled trial with 2-staged consent. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, Volume 41, Issue 12, 2023, Pages 484.e1-484.e5,ISSN 1078-1439.

Christopher D. Gaffney, Behfar Ehdaie, Thermal Partial Prostate Ablation for Intermediate- and High-risk Prostate Cancer: Con, European Urology Focus, Volume 9, Issue 4, 2023, Pages 660-661, ISSN 2405-4569.

Gaffney C, Golan R, Cantu MD, Scognamiglio T, McCarthy H, Mosquera JM, et al. The Clinical Utility of the Genomic Prostate Score in Men with Very Low to Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer. Journal of Urology [Internet]. 2019 Jul 1 [cited 2024 Aug 28];202(1):96–101.

Christopher Gaffney, Deli Liu, Victoria Cooley, Xiayoue Ma, Cynthia Angulo, Brian Robinson, Francesca Khani, Peter Cai, Simpa Salami, Srinivas Nallandhighal, Jonathan Shoag, Christopher Barbieri, Tumor size and genomic risk in localized prostate cancer, Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, Volume 39, Issue 7, 2021, Pages 434.e17-434.e22, ISSN 1078-1439.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Gaffney’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