Prostate Cancer

Personalized prostate cancer care

Our prostate cancer specialists design treatment plans to meet your needs and preferences. Whenever possible, we choose therapies that minimize side effects, such as urinary, bowel or sexual dysfunction.

Early detection and diagnosis

We focus on finding prostate cancer early, when it's easier to treat. Our diagnostic team includes radiologists and pathologists with specialized training in genitourinary cancer. We offer some of the most sophisticated diagnostic technology available, including advanced prostate MRI and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET scan.

UCSF Health researchers played a key role in obtaining FDA approval for the PSMA PET scan. A PSMA PET scan uses a radioactive tracer to locate prostate cancer with unparalleled precision, helping detect cancer that has spread (metastasized) earlier than ever before.

We are also pushing the boundaries of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment through genomic and biomarker testing, including the UCSF500 Cancer Gene Panel and other advanced genomic tests. By examining cancer cells in your body for molecular or genetic changes, we can better predict which treatments will be most effective.

Our areas of expertise for prostate cancer treatment

We treat all stages of prostate cancer, from localized to advanced. Localized prostate cancer is confined to the prostate. Advanced cancer has spread to distant organs or lymph nodes.

Active surveillance

Low-risk prostate cancer is unlikely to spread and usually does not need treatment. In these cases, we use active surveillance to monitor you for any changes. This can include regular checkups, blood tests, genetic testing, imaging and prostate biopsies.

Focal therapy for prostate cancer

We are at the forefront of focal therapies for prostate cancer, which are treatments that use energy to destroy cancer cells. These noninvasive procedures target early-stage, localized tumors. Focal therapies avoid healthy prostate tissue, so they have fewer side effects than surgery or radiation therapy.

Our focal therapies include:

• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Destroys tumors using heat from ultrasound waves

• Irreversible electroporation (IRE). Destroys cancer cells using electric pulses

• Cryotherapy. Freezes and kills cancerous tissues

Robotic-assisted prostate cancer surgery

Urologic cancer surgeons at UCSF Health specialize in robotic prostatectomy — a minimally invasive surgery to remove the prostate using small incisions. Our expertise in this technique translates to a lower risk of sexual and urinary side effects. Patients also tend to have an easier recovery with less pain.

We are currently exploring new ways to identify tumors during robotic prostatectomy, including using a fluorescent substance that binds to prostate cancer cells and makes tumors light up during surgery. This can help our surgeons remove tumors with better accuracy and find metastases (tumors that have spread to other tissues) sooner.

Radiation therapy for prostate cancer

Our leading-edge radiation systems use imaging guidance to adjust the shape, angle and intensity of external radiation beams. This is especially important for prostate cancer because the prostate gland can change positions during treatment. We also offer internal radiation therapy, including high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, where we place tiny radioactive seeds inside your body to directly target tumors.

Systemic therapies for prostate cancer

Your treatment plan may include systemic therapies, which are medications that circulate through your body. Systemic therapies may be appropriate for people with advanced prostate cancer or those who choose not to have surgery or radiation therapy.

Systemic therapies may include:

• Chemotherapy. Shrinks prostate tumors and helps ease symptoms

• Hormone therapy. Stops testosterone production, which prostate cancer cells need to live

• Immunotherapy. Helps your immune system identify and attack cancer cells

• Targeted therapy. Disrupts the processes that allow cancer cells to grow and divide