Mark W. Ball, M.D.

Mark W. Ball, M.D.
Assistant Research Physician
Urologic Oncology Branch

Dr. Mark Ball is an Assistant Research Physician and Staff Clinician in the Urologic Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. He specializes in the surgical treatment of all urologic malignancies and performs open, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He has a special focus on partial nephrectomy for kidney tumors, partial adrenalectomy for adrenal tumors, reoperative surgery in patients with a history of prior surgeries, and patients with multiple tumors. He works closely with a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiologists and pathologists.

Areas of Expertise
1) urologic oncologic surgery 2) renal cell carcinoma 3) hereditary kidney cancer syndromes 4) adrenal surgery 5) cancer genetics

Contact Info

Mark W. Ball, M.D.
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute
Building 10, Room 1-5940
Bethesda, MD 20892
Ph: 301-496-6353
mark.ball@nih.gov
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Dr. Ball's research focuses on how tumor genetics translate into clinical behavior. He has authored over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and has presented his work at multiple national and international meetings. He was recently a member of an international guideline committee on laparoscopic and robotic adrenal surgery.

He is currently investigating the role of somatic mutations in the development of kidney cancer metastasis. Recent work has also focused on the role of somatic mutations in the response to checkpoint blockade in renal cell carcinoma and how genomic features correlate with pathologic features across all urologic malignancies. He also studies the role of preoperative imaging and biopsy in risk stratification prior to surgery.

Scientific Focus Areas:
Cancer Biology, Clinical Research, Genetics and Genomics, Immunology
View Dr. Ball's Complete Bibliography at NCBI.

Selected Key Publications

  1. Genomic correlates of response to immune checkpoint therapies in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
    Miao D, Margolis CA, Gao W, Voss MH, Li W, Martini DJ, Norton C, Bossé D, Wankowicz SM, Cullen D, Horak C, Wind-Rotolo M, Tracy A, Giannakis M, Hodi FS, Drake CG, Ball MW, Allaf ME, Snyder A, Hellmann MD, Ho T, Motzer RJ, Signoretti S, Kaelin WG Jr, Choueiri TK, Van Allen EM.
    Science. [Epub ahead of print], 2018. [ Journal Article ]
  2. Kidney cancer in 2017: Challenging and refining treatment paradigms..
    Ball MW, Srinivasan R.
    Nat Rev Urol. [Epub ahead of print], 2018. [ Journal Article ]
  3. Surgical management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
    Ball MW
    Discov Med. 23(129): 379-387, 2017. [ Journal Article ]
  4. The Landscape of Whole-genome Alterations and Pathologic Features in Genitourinary Malignancies: An Analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas.
    Ball MW, Gorin MA, Drake CG, Hammers HJ, Allaf ME.
    Eur Urol Focus. [Epub ahead of print], 2017. [ Journal Article ]
  5. International Consultation on Urological Diseases and European Association of Urology International Consultation on Minimally Invasive Surgery in Urology: laparoscopic and robotic adrenalectomy.
    Ball MW, Hemal AK, Allaf ME.
    BJU Int. 119(1): 13-21 , 2017. [ Journal Article ]

Dr. Ball received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Centre College, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins. After residency, he came to the National Cancer Institute as a clinical fellow in a Society of Urologic Oncology-accredited urologic oncology fellowship where he worked in the laboratory of W. Marston Linehan.

Dr. Ball has been the recipient of several academic honors including election to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society, outstanding laparoscopic surgeon from the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgery, outstanding research from the Society of Urologic Oncology, recipient of an LRP award from the NIH, and multiple teaching awards at Johns Hopkins from the Department of Surgery, Department of Urology and School of Medicine.