Prostate Cancer
About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer (following skin cancer) in U.S. men and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. One in nine men born in the U.S. today will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. The risk of dying from prostate cancer, however, is much lower, at one in 41. Your individual risk depends on your risk factors. Learn more at Understanding Prostate Cancer.
Each individual person's journey with prostate cancer can vary. With this in mind, the Patient Services Committee in collaboration with UCSF Physician Scientists in Urologic Oncology, Medical Oncology, and Radiation Oncology have developed prostate cancer education materials to help guide conversations for you and your physician.
UCSF Health Prostate Cancer Center
The UCSF Prostate Cancer Center offers advanced, comprehensive care for individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer and those at elevated risk for the disease. Prioritizing early screening and detection, our center provides a wide array of services, from active surveillance for low-risk cancers to innovative treatments for cancers at all stages, whether localized (restricted to the prostate) or advanced (metastasized beyond the pelvis). UCSF is a prominent research institution for late-stage prostate cancer, providing access to the most effective treatment options.
Upcoming Event
Prostate Cancer Journal Club For Patients
August 20, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT/12:00 PM ET
Transdermal estradiol vs traditional ADT – what’s best for you?
Join us for a free Zoom webinar hosted by the Prostate Cancer Journal Club for Patients (PCJCP). We will dive into a groundbreaking study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine comparing traditional ADT (Lupron, Orgovyx, Firmagon, etc.) with Transdermal Estradiol therapy.
The study found that transdermal estradiol patches applied twice weekly can lower testosterone and fight the cancer as well as traditional ADT, but with a greatly reduced incidence of hot flashes and bone density loss (though it introduces a potential additional side effect).
The webinar is open to anyone interested in learning more about this study, and online attendees will be invited to submit questions for consideration by the moderator.
An abstract is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2511781 and a full text link is also available to those who complete the free NEJM registration.
When: Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT
Presented by: Ruth E. Langley, F.R.C.P., Ph.D. and Noel Clarke, Ch.M
Discussant: Dr. Paul Schellhammer
Moderated by: Matthew Cooperberg, MD, MPH (UCSF)
Hosted by: UroToday, The Prostate Cancer Foundation, and UCSF Patient Advocates
News
ASPI Press Release: 2025 Special Award for Advocacy – Dr. Matthew Cooperberg
GU Oncology Now- Role of PSMA PET in Surgical Planning, Post-Operative Management
A gift to support AI analysis will improve risk assessment and outcomes for prostate cancer patients
Dr. Samuel Washington Wins 2024 PCF Young Investigator Award
UCSF Press Release: Why Some Prostate Cancers Shouldn’t Be Called ‘Cancer’
UCSF Press Release: Why Some Prostate Cancers Shouldn’t Be Called ‘Cancer’
Related Providers
Clinician Faculty
Peter R. Carroll, MD, MPH
- Professor of Urology
- Ken and Donna Derr-Chevron Distinguished Professorship in Prostate Cancer
Meera R. Chappidi, MD, MPH
- Assistant Professor of Urology
Carissa Chu, MD
- Assistant Professor of Urology
- Stephen and Faith Brown Endowed Professorship in Urology
Matthew R. Cooperberg, MD, MPH
- Professor of Urology
- Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Helen Diller Family Chair in Urology
- Vice Chair for Translational and Population Science Research
- Chief of Urology, San Francisco VAMC
- Co-Leader, Prostate Program, HDFCCC
Maxwell V. Meng, MD
- Professor of Urology
Hao G. Nguyen, MD, PhD
- Professor of Urology
- Richard and Leilani Grinold Endowed Professorship in Urology
Anobel Y. Odisho, MD, MPH
- Associate Professor of Urology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Medicine
- Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation
- Medical Director of Surgical Informatics, UCSF Health
Sima P. Porten, MD, MPH
- Professor of Urology
- Chief of Urologic Oncology
Rishi R. Sekar, MD, MSc
- Assistant Professor of Urology
Katsuto Shinohara, MD
- Professor of Urology
- Helen Diller Family Chair in Clinical Urology
Samuel L. Washington III, MD, MAS
- Associate Professor of Urology
- Goldberg-Benioff Endowed Professorship in Cancer Biology
- Associate Chair of Opportunity and Outreach
Courtesy Faculty
Franklin Huang, MD, PhD
- Associate Professor of Medicine and Urology
Mack Roach III, MD
- Professor of Radiation Oncology and Urology
Eric Small, MD
- Professor of Medicine, Hematology Oncology and Urology
- Doris and Donald Fisher Distinguished Professorship in Clinical Cancer Research
- Stanford W. Ascherman and Norman R. Ascherman Endowed Chair
Researchers
June M. Chan, ScD
- Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Urology
- Steven and Christine Burd - Safeway Distinguished Professor
Nynikka Palmer, DrPH, MPH
- Associate Professor of Medicine (Division of General Internal Medicine at SFGH), Urology and Radiation Oncology
- Helen Diller Family Chair in Community Education and Outreach for Urologic Cancer
Donna Peehl, PhD
- Professor of Radiology and Urology
Pathologists
Cornelia Ding, MD, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Pathology and Urology
Physician Assistants
Nurse Practitioners
Resources
The UCSF Peer Support Program connects you via telephone or in person with a cancer survivor or patient who is further along in treatment. Our trained patient volunteers are available to provide you with practical and informational support.
For a partial list of clinical trials click here. For more information, speak to your healthcare team or call our Nurse Navigator at 415.885.7795.
Improving urologic care through lifestyle studies, focusing on diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits, and the biologic mechanisms through which they act.
Patient Financial Services
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