Dr. Cackowski earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and then completed his Internal Medicine Residency and subsequently, his Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Michigan in 2017.
While at the University of Michigan as a fellow and later as a Clinical Lecturer, he developed particular expertise in the treatment of patients with genitourinary cancers. He also developed a laboratory research program studying prostate cancer dormancy and recurrence — how patients with prostate cancer can relapse months, years, or decades after curative-intent surgery or radiation. His research laboratory is funded by grants from the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Department of Defense.
Dr. Cackowski joined the medical staff at Karmanos Cancer Center and Wayne State University in May 2020 where he continues to treat patients with genitourinary cancers, leads a laboratory investigating ways in which prostate cancer recurs and resists treatment and conducts clinical trials of genitourinary cancers.
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) has continued its Community Conversations on Cancer series in 2025 in partnership with the Detroit Public Library. The program invites members of the public to dialogue about current cancer research and treatment, improved health outcomes, and a deep understanding of a cancer diagnosis. The 2025 series includes six events, each a collaborative, informative discussion introducing the community to a different asp...
Patient Power Why might a prostate cancer patient feel tired? Frank Cackowski, M.D., Ph.D. , medical oncologist and member of the Genitourinary Oncology Multidisciplinary Team at Karmanos, explained some of the causes of fatigue and how prostate cancer patients can manage the tiredness they may feel while undergoing treatment. Read the article here .
The Conversation Frank Cackowski, M.D., Ph.D. , medical oncologist, member of the Genitourinary Oncology Multidisciplinary Team , member of the Molecular Therapeutics Research Program at Karmanos, and assistant professor in the Department of Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Steven Zielske, Ph.D., research scientist in the Department of Oncology at WSU, detailed an issue they ran into after testing a molecule and chemical reaction link a 2018 paper indicated would exist. This ar...