Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center medical oncologist David Aggen

David H. Aggen, MD, PhD

Genitourinary Medical Oncologist & Cellular Therapist

5.0 | 197 reviews

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

Bladder cancer
Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
Prostate cancer and conditions

My Specialties

Clinical trials
Immunotherapy

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English

Get to Know Me

I am a medical oncologist who cares for people with genitourinary cancers. This includes bladder cancer, urinary tract cancer, kidney cancer, and prostate cancer.

At MSK, I work closely with a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiation oncologists, and pathologists. Together, we provide personalized care for each of our patients.

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.

For more than a decade, I have been interested in using immunotherapy to improve outcomes for people with cancer. I work with my patients to tailor the best treatments for them, whether it is immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination. The people we care for at MSK are also able to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials, both in Manhattan and at regional sites, like MSK Bergen.

Understandably, a diagnosis of cancer can be frightening. When I first meet my patients, I try to address their concerns about the extent of their illness, the available treatments, and their prognosis. A critical part of my job is talking with patients about treatment options so that they can make informed decisions about their care. My goal is to have my patients leave their visit with an improved understanding of their condition, the available treatments, and their dedicated care plan.

My research interests include developing new treatments and clinical trials for people with bladder cancer. My team works to identify relationships between tumor genomics, the tumor immune microenvironment, and the response to immunotherapy. We want to be able to figure out which combinations are more likely to benefit an individual patient using genomics, transcriptomics, and immunoprofiling. Additionally, I have a long-standing interest in developing cellular therapeutics, such as T cell receptors and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. By finding new targets in genitourinary cancer for cellular therapeutics, we can better care for people who don’t respond to conventional treatment.

Outside of work, I enjoy running in Central Park, cycling, and spending time with my wife and family.

What I Do 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.

A cellular therapy specialist is a doctor with special training in using cell therapies to treat health conditions such as cancer. Therapies can include chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy.

Assistant Attending Physician

Conditions I Treat

Bladder cancer
Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
Prostate cancer and conditions

My Specialties

Clinical trials
Immunotherapy

Education

MD, University of Illinois College of Medicine
PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Residencies

Internal Medicine - Wayne State University School of Medicine

Fellowships

Medical Oncology - Columbia University Medical Center

Board Certifications

Internal Medicine
Medical Oncology

Awards and Honors

Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
Conquer Cancer Foundation – ASCO Career Development Award (2021)
Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Research Program – CDA Award (2022)
Conquer Cancer Foundation - ASCO Young Investigator Award (2018)

Insurance Information

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New Patients

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Current Patients

Request an appointment by logging in to MSK MyChart or calling your Care Team. If you are not enrolled in MSK MyChart, ask your Care Team to send you an invitation. You can also go to MSK MyChart and select “Sign up now.”

Contact and Location

Dr. Aggen sees patients at three locations.

Office Phone

646-422-4679

Location

New York, NY

Montvale, NJ

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 Cellular Therapy Service doctors

See all Genitourinary Oncology Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials Investigated by Dr. Aggen
A Phase 2 Study of Autogene Cevumeran Plus Nivolumab Immunotherapy Versus Nivolumab Alone in People With Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
A Phase 2/3 Study Assessing Tumor DNA in the Blood to Guide the Use of Immunotherapy After Bladder Cancer Surgery
A Phase II Study of Enfortumab Vedotin and Pembrolizumab Immunotherapy Given Before Surgery in People with Bladder Cancer
Clinical Trials Co-Investigated by Dr. Aggen
A Phase 1/2 Study of AB-2100 Cellular Therapy in People With Advanced Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

A Phase 2 Study of TAR-200 Plus Cetrelimab Versus Cetrelimab Alone Before Surgery in People With Bladder Cancer

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. Aggen’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

Patient Reviews

Your trust is our main concern

We strive to keep reviews trustworthy, honest and fair. Learn more about our patient experience reviews.

5.0 197 reviews

4.9 Provider's Explanations Easy to Understand
4.9 Trusts Provider with Care
4.9 Provider Listened Carefully
5.0 Likelihood of Recommending Provider

Mar 31, 2025

I greatly appreciate the care and concern that Dr. Aggen and his team always show me. [patient name removed]

Mar 19, 2025

The waiting time was very long at this last visit and nobody took the time to inform me the reason for the wait, although I was told later that it was due to problems with the new computer system, the new medical record system. But as I said, no one really took the time. While I was waiting to say anything, they just plopped me in a place and then disappeared for an hour or more. So that was a little unusual. And that's it. Thanks. Bye bye.

Mar 17, 2025

One of the biggest decisions I had to make in my life was to make MSK my care team. I can honestly say from the doctors to the nurses to the overall staff, I am overwhelmed by the kindness shown to me every time I went in there. The entire staff deserves an A+.

Mar 5, 2025

Was very pleased with the whole experience. It was my first time meeting with him.

Mar 5, 2025

Thank you!!!

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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.

David H. Aggen discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Alpha Insights
Professional Services and Activities
Aptitude Health
Professional Services and Activities
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Professional Services and Activities
Century Therapeutics
Professional Services and Activities
Curio Science LLC
Professional Services and Activities

Guidepoint Global Advisors
Professional Services and Activities
MJH Life Sciences
Professional Services and Activities
RC Horowitz & Co
Professional Services and Activities
Seagen
Professional Services and Activities
University of Illinois
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 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 ecoi@mskcc.org.

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