Medical Expertise

Single-Port Robotic surgery, Transperineal MRI-Ultrasound fusion biopsy of the prostate.

Prostate cancer: robotic prostatectomy, active surveillance, genomics.

Bladder cancer: transurethral removal of bladder tumor, robotic radical cystectomy (removal of urinary
bladder), urinary diversion.

Kidney cancer: robotic partial nephrectomy (partial removal of kidney), robotic radical nephrectomy.

Testicular cancer: radical orchiectomy

Adrenal mass/cancer: robotic adrenalectomy

Hospital Affiliation

University Hospital, Newark

Insurance Participation

Insurance Participation: with Provider Number (where applicable)
The information below is subject to change and should not be relied upon until after it is verified with the insurance company. In addition, psychiatric providers should be contacted directly for information on their participation with managed care and insurance companies.

Aetna, Inc.

AmeriGroup

AmeriHealth of NJ

America's Choice Provider Network (ACPN)

Clover Health Plans

Devon Health Services/ULLICO

Horizon BCBS Managed Care

Horizon NJ Health

Horizon NJ Total Care(HNJH)

Horizon PPO Network

Medicaid

Medicare

MultiPlan

Prime Health Services, Inc.

Qual Care HMO

Qual Care PPO

Three Rivers Provider Network

UHC Comm/Oxford

United Healthcare Community Plan (formerly AmeriChoice of NJ, Inc.)

WellCare Health Plans

Languages

French
Hebrew

Overview

Dr. Kovac is a board-certified and fellowship-trained urologic oncologist, specializing in the evaluation
and treatment of cancers of the urinary tract, including prostate, kidney, bladder, testicular, adrenal
and penile cancers.

Dr. Kovac is currently the Director of Urologic Oncology and the Associate Program Director of the
urology residency program at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. He has
won numerous teaching awards and has a specific passion for teaching and mentoring medical
students and residents.

He earned my medical degree at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and also completed his
residency in Urology at McGill. He then completed a two-year fellowship in Urologic Oncology and
Robotics at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Kovac is experienced in the latest diagnostic modalities and has specific expertise in
transperineal ultrasound-MRI fusion biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and single-port
robotic surgery for the treatment of prostate, kidney, adrenal and bladder cancers.

Dr. Kovac has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on urologic
oncology, presented over 40 abstracts at national and international meetings, and has worked to
optimize prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for the early detection of prostate cancer. In
addition, Dr. Kovac published an online training module for performing retroperitoneal lymph node
dissection for the treatment of metastatic testicular cancer that is accessible to surgical trainees
worldwide.

Education

MD, 2009, McGill University Medical School

Licensure & Certification

Medical Licensure
New Jersey

Certification
American Board of Urology - Urology

Languages

French
Hebrew

Relevant Publications

Kovac, E. Weiss, RE, Arap, W. Testosterone Treatment and Fractures in Men with Hypogonadism. New England Journal of Medicine 2024 11:390 1342-43.

Fastenau J, Jain K, Popovic A, Kovac E. Review of Active Surveillance in Underrepresented and High-Risk Populations: Feasibility and Safety. Curr Urol Rep. 2023 Jul;24(7):307-315.???

Labagnara K, Zhu D, Loloi J, Shreck E, Abeshouse M, Watts KL, Sankin A, Aboumohamed AA, Kovac E. Low risk is low risk, regardless of race or ethnicity: Outcomes of prostate cancer active surveillance and factors associated with reclassification in a racially diverse cohort. Urol Oncol. 2023 Feb 3:S1078-1439(23)00007-8.

Feiertag N, Barry E, Abramson M, Park JY, Kovac E, Aboumohamed A, Watts K, Sankin A. Urine Cytology Rarely Escalates Clinical Management in the Surveillance of Non-muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2022 Dec 23:S1558-7673(22)00262-2.

Zhu D, Loloi J, Labagnara K, Schwartz D, Agalliu I, Fram EB, Sankin A, Aboumohamed A, Kovac E. Clinical Risk Factors Associated With Small Renal Mass Malignant Histology in a Multi-Ethnic Population Undergoing Partial Nephrectomy. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2022 Dec;20(6):e465-e472.

Tilburt JC, Zahrieh D, Pacyna JE, Petereit DG, Kaur JS, Rapkin BD, Grubb RL 3rd, Chang GJ, Morris MJ, Kovac EZ, Babaian KN, Sloan JA, Basch EM, Peil ES, Dueck AC, Novotny PJ, Paskett ED, Buckner JC, Joyce DD, Montori VM, Frosch DL, Volk RJ, Kim SP. Decision aids for localized prostate cancer in diverse minority men: Primary outcome results from a multicenter cancer care delivery trial (Alliance A191402CD). Cancer. 2022 Mar 15;128(6):1242-1251.

Zhu D, Shyr W, Toker M, Fram E, Cheng J, Kovac EZ, Agalliu I, Aboumohamed A, Watts KL. The impact of surgical downgrading on prostate cancer recurrence: systematic review and analysis of a multiethnic population. World Journal of Urology. 2022 Mar;40(3):709-718.???

Kovac E, Carlsson SV, Lilja H, Hugosson J, Kattan MW, Holmberg E, Stephenson AJ. Association of Baseline Prostate-Specific Antigen Level With Long-term Diagnosis of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer Among Patients Aged 55 to 60 Years: A Secondary Analysis of a Cohort in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jan 3;3(1):e1919284.

Douglass L, Kovac E, Campbell S, Stephenson A, Meade P, Maizels M. Computer-enhanced visual learning: open primary, nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. J Pediatr Urol. 2019 May;15(3):270-272.

Kovac E, Vertosick EA, Sjoberg DD, Vickers AJ, Stephenson AJ. Effects of Pathologic Upstaging or Upgrading on Metastasis and Cancer-Specific Mortality in men with Clinical Low-risk Prostate Cancer. BJU Int. 2018 Dec;122(6):1003-1009.

Areas Of Interest

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection

Prostate biopsy

Radical cystectomy

Radical orchiectomy

Robotic adrenalectomy

Robotic partial nephrectomy

Robotic prostatectomy

Robotic radical nephrectomy

Transurethral removal of bladder tumor

Urinary diversion

Course List

21125660Q

Active Surveillance of Low Grade Prostate Cancer

The number of prostate cancer diagnoses has increased with the increasing prevalence of PSA
testing since
its introduction in the early 1990s. The majority of these diagnoses are of low-risk, early-stage
prostate
cancers. While more aggressive treatment options for prostate cancer are effective, they result in
adverse
consequences for patients, affecting bowel, urinary and sexual function. Active surveillance (AS) has
become
an important management option for low-risk, early-stage prostate cancer. Active surveillance as a
strategy for
management of low-grade prostate cancer allows for the preservation of patient quality of life by
minimizing the harms of radical therapy until it is deemed necessary.

Active surveillance of early-stage prostate cancers longitudinally follows patients and includes
evaluation of
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), imaging, and periodic biopsies. Currently, there is no universally
accepted AS
protocol for low-risk prostate cancers. There are differences in selection criteria, follow-up,
reclassification,
and criteria for curative treatment between existing AS protocols. Each protocol's standards seek to
balance quality of life versus curative intent with known side-effects.

With this multivariable analysis study, we wish to highlight the specific factors (such as patient-specific
characteristics, medications, number of biopsies, cancer specific characteristics, etc.) that contribute
to
prostate cancer upgrading and upstaging as important outcomes, in our patient population served by
University Hospital. We hope that the knowledge gained from this study will help improve active
surveillance
protocols and inform clinicians on the relative safety of active surveillance in traditionally underserved,
high-
risk patients.