Over the past 20 years, the laparoscope has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of many gynecologic conditions and illnesses. Laparoscopy’s minimally invasive approach is easier on patients and result in less pain, fewer complications, and a shorter hospital stay than traditional “open” surgery.

Ready to ride the next wave of innovations in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery is Babak Litkouhi, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at The Cancer Center. Dr. Litkouhi has undergone extensive training in the use of robotic surgical technology to stage and treat endometrial (uterine), cervical, and early ovarian cancers. He also excels in performing complex open surgery for the treatment of advanced and widely metastatic ovarian cancer and a variety of non-cancerous complex gynecologic conditions, such as large fibroids or advanced endometriosis, which can greatly alter normal anatomic structures and compromise the female reproductive system.

Dr. Litkouhi joined The Cancer Center in 2007 after completing his three-year fellowship at the renowned gynecologic oncology program of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston. He was recruited by the Division of Gynecologic Oncology’s chief, Daniel H. Smith, M.D., for his expertise in minimally invasive and robotic gynecologic surgery.

“Hackensack University Medical Center is a leader in robotic technology on the East Coast,” says Dr. Litkouhi. “I was attracted to the potential that exists here to take robotic surgery in gynecologic oncology to the next level.”

The addition of Dr. Litkouhi to the Division of Gynecologic Oncology gives patients a one-two advantage in fighting cancer. Dr. Litkouhi and Dr. Smith work in tandem to provide women with the most advanced surgical options available today to diagnose, stage, and treat all types of gynecologic cancers.

“With the gynecologic oncology team we have in place at The Cancer Center, we have one of the best and most advanced Divisions of Gynecologic Oncology in the world,” says Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., chairman and executive administrative director of The Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center.

Minimally invasive gynecologic surgery with the robot is performed within keyhole abdominal incisions, thus lowering the risk of pain, wound infections, and difficulties with urinary and respiratory systems. Most patients go home the day after surgery.

“I enjoy performing the surgeries and the treatments some women require after surgery,” he says. “I also like the challenges of handling the complex issues involved with treating gynecologic cancers and the relationships I build with my patients.”

At Brigham and Women’s, Dr. Litkouhi also trained extensively in the treatment of gestational trophoblastic disease at the renowned New England Trophoblastic Disease Center, a leading national referral center for this type of cancer. Gestational trophoblastic disease arises during early pregnancy from tissues that develop into the placenta. The tumor can be benign or malignant and spread outside the uterus.

Dr. Litkouhi is also experienced in administering chemotherapy for the treatment of gynecologic cancers, including intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy to treat advanced ovarian cancer. IP chemotherapy ó which places the chemotherapeutic drugs directly into the abdomen (peritoneal cavity) to treat the area after cancer has been removed surgically ó is now being used to treat women with advanced ovarian cancer.

A native of nearby Ridgewood and Ringwood, Dr. Litkouhi says he is glad to be back in New Jersey after completing his fellowship in Boston. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in mechanical engineering from The Cooper Union in New York City, received his medical degree with distinction in research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and was a resident and chief administrative resident in obstetrics/gynecology at Yale-New Haven Hospital/Yale School of Medicine before his fellowship at Brigham and Women’s.

During college and medical school, Dr. Litkouhi was involved in research in orthopedics and cryopreservation technology for oocyte (female egg) banking. During his residency and fellowship, he concentrated on basic and clinical research in ovarian cancer. He has been published in Gynecologic Oncology, Neoplasia, Cryo-letters, and Cryobiology. His research has been presented at meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, and the American Orthopaedic Association. He was honored with the Meehan-Miller Award for Academic Scholarship and as Resident with Special Excellence in Endoscopic Procedures from the Department of OB/GYN at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Minimally Invasive Robotic Association.