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I am excited to join the team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJ Barnabas Health. I grew up in Connecticut and majored in Biology and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I received my medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a six-year urology residency at the University of Chicago. I then completed a two-year Society of Urologic Oncology accredited fellowship at Mayo Clinic where I also obtained a Postdoctoral Research Certificate at the Center of Clinical and Translational Science. I had a robust clinical practice and research portfolio in urologic oncology and bladder cancer for several years at the University of Iowa, prior to my recruitment to Rutgers. Currently, I am Associate Professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
I have expertise in treating genitourinary malignancies including bladder, prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer, and am experienced in both complex open and robotic surgery. Outcomes for urologic cancers are optimized by skill and experience, and I am grateful to my world-class mentors throughout my training to allow me to bring this to my patients. I am passionate about educating my patients about all treatment options available to them to allow them to make the best personalized treatment decisions.
I have a strong interest in bladder cancer. This disease can be aggressive and significantly impact quality of life - it brings me satisfaction be able to help patients with this problem. I strongly support and participate in patient centered groups such as the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network and have always prioritized a patient-centric treatment approach. I believe the best way to bring new effective treatments for patients is through innovations by their treating physicians. I have dedicated a large amount of research focus to the development and implementation of effective novel treatments for bladder cancer. I have received research funding from the American Cancer Society to improve the safety and effectiveness of treatments for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
I am an active member of numerous cancer societies and am recognized as a top reviewer for multiple urology journals. I have co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.
March 6, 2025
Very good.
February 27, 2025
I've never been treated so wonderfully by any doctors I've seen in my lifetime. There wasn't a thing that wasn't fully explained.
February 25, 2025
Very pleased with my visit with both dr. & nursing staff.
February 17, 2025
My son and I left feeling like we were heard and mattered.
January 3, 2025
Dr. Packiam was very straight forward & explained everything in a honest straight forward manner.
December 27, 2024
One of the best experiences I have had with a dr.'s practice. Highly recommend them.
December 25, 2024
Dr very professional knowledgeable and caring explained everything we need to know made me feel better
October 21, 2024
No bad experiences.
October 18, 2024
Very pleased
September 24, 2024
No problems at all
September 23, 2024
Good.
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Listen in as Dr. Vignesh Packiam discusses optimizing TURBT with UroToday.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel debates the management of high-grade T1 bladder cancer with lymphovascular invasion and variant histology, weighing the benefits and limitations of repeat TURBT, the use of blue light cystoscopy, and the implications for intravesical therapy, early cystectomy, or systemic treatment in light of emerging data and evolving risk stratification.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel discusses a wave of bladder cancer therapies—including cretostimogene, gem/doce, and AI-driven biomarkers—highlighting the excitement around new data, treatment sequencing, and the potential of combination strategies to improve bladder preservation.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel explores the practical challenges and logistical considerations of delivering emerging bladder-sparing therapies like gem/doce and TAR-200 in real-world settings, emphasizing the appeal of streamlined treatment regimens in community practice and discussing evolving strategies such as re-induction with nadofaragene firadenovec and the role of real-world data in validating clinical trial outcomes.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel shares how patient lifestyle, bladder symptoms, treatment tolerability, and logistical considerations like travel distance and clinic capacity influence intravesical therapy selection, while also exploring adjunct strategies like rectal Valium to improve tolerability and drug exposure, the impact of BCG shortages, and the cautious interpretation of CREST trial data in the context of systemic immunotherapy use.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel discusses the complex considerations and evolving landscape of bladder cancer treatment, weighing the promise and toxicity of immunotherapy in BCG-naïve patients, the logistical and financial barriers to accessing new therapies in both academic and community settings, and new data suggesting higher patient satisfaction with early radical cystectomy, prompting a reevaluation of how aggressive disease should be counseled and managed.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel considers the evolving role of radiation therapy in managing high-grade T1 bladder cancer, the cautious adoption of bladder-sparing protocols, and the growing potential of urinary and circulating biomarkers to guide risk stratification, surveillance, and treatment decisions in both NMIBC and muscle-invasive disease.
At the American Urological Association 2025 Annual Meeting, an expert panel convened to discuss the evolving treatment and diagnostic landscape of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), including Dr. Vignesh Packiam.
Listen in as Dr. Packiam discusses advances in NMBIC and how it should be used in patient care.
Listen in as UroToday's Joep de Jong interviews Vignesh Packiam about gemcitabine-docetaxel (gemdoce) for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and potential predictive biomarkers.
Amanda Nizam, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, speaks with Vignesh Packiam, MD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute, about his innovative study on an AI-powered model designed to predict patient response to intravesical BCG in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Vignesh T. Packiam, MD, and Katie S. Murray, DO, MS, weigh multiple recent studies that explore the efficacy of gemcitabine/docetaxel as a frontline therapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma, highlighting its potential as an alternative to BCG amid supply shortages and its promising outcomes in preserving kidney function.
Sam Chang hosts a conversation with Vignesh Packiam to discuss the emerging role of intravesical gemcitabine and docetaxel (gem/doce) for treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), spotlighting Dr. Packiam's recent publication in Urologic Oncology.
Learn more about how blue light cystoscopy is used to help patients with bladder cancer with Dr. Vignesh T. Packiam.
Testicular cancer is most common between the ages of 15 and 45, with the median age for diagnosis being 33, according to the American Cancer Society. Dr. Vignesh T. Packiam shares more.
Clinicians continue to consider and research the best options for patients in light of the ongoing unreliability of BCG. Learn more.
An alternative off-label option for patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC is sequential intravesical gemcitabine and docetaxel (Gem/Doce)," write Rachel Passarelli, MD, and Vignesh T. Packiam, MD. Learn more.