Robert Svatek, MD

Robert Svatek, MD, MSCI, is professor of medicine in the Division of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is a nationally recognized urologic-oncologist with the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, specializing in managing superficial and advanced bladder cancer. 

Treatment of superficial bladder cancer requires careful, meticulous detail and adherence to surveillance regimens. It requires diligence in administering proper standardized therapy, but treatment regimens must also be individualized. Expertise in managing advanced bladder cancer requires proper timing and coordination of multiple treatment modalities available to treat the disease, so Dr. Svatek works closely with other oncology subspecialists to provide the optimal therapy for patients.

He is one of the top five highest-volume bladder cancer surgeons in the United States, performing over 60 bladder removal procedures (cystectomies) yearly. He provides state-of-the-art surgical options, including robotic-assisted and open approaches, and all available urinary diversion options, including ileal conduit and continent diversions (Indiana pouch and neobladder). He has developed a collaborative care pathway in San Antonio with exceptional precision in patients' pre-operative and post-operative management.

Svatek was born and raised in Wharton, a small town approximately 60 miles southwest of Houston in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. He attended The University of Texas at Austin for undergraduate training and The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for medical school. He then completed his urology residency training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Following residency, he completed a 3-year fellowship in urologic oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. While there, he also earned his master of science in clinical research investigation at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Center for Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Medicine.

Dr. Svatek was also named one of San Antonio’s Top Doctors 2021 and Texas Monthly's Super Doctors 2020.

Research

Dr. Robert Svatek is a surgeon-scientist with clinical expertise in early and late-phase clinical trials and urologic cancers. His laboratory expertise is in cancer immunology, emphasizing understanding the immunopathologic basis of urothelial carcinoma and developing novel immunotherapeutic agents. Research conducted in his lab is rapidly translated into novel clinical trials. Current projects include chemokine signaling mechanisms driving bladder cancer growth and response to immunotherapy, the role of innate immune cells, including natural killer cells and gamma delta T cells in tumor immunology, the significance of regulatory T cells in bladder cancer pathology, and mechanisms underlying BCG immunotherapy.