High-Risk Prostate Cancer
Our multidisciplinary Urologic Cancer Clinic brings some of the best oncologists and urologists in San Diego County to one location, so you can conveniently and quickly access the specialized care you need.
This unique clinic focuses on improving the prognosis and quality of life for patients with high-risk, aggressive or metastatic prostate cancer.
At our clinic, you may:
- Discuss treatment options with three cancer specialists — a medical oncologist, urologic surgeon and radiation oncologist — during a single visit
- Receive a balanced view of treatment options with quality-of-life considerations incorporated into your care plan
- Receive tests and treatments that meet the highest standards of cancer care, including genetic and molecular evaluations to further personalize care
- Have faster and more convenient access to cancer care through all stages of treatment
- Access the most promising, new prostate cancer treatment through participation in a clinical trial.
- Ask your dedicated patient navigator to help you schedule your appointments, scans and consults.
Video: Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic for Better Urologic Cancer Care
From left, Dr. Brent Rose, a radiation oncologist, Dr. Aditya Bagrodia, a urologic oncologist, and Dr. Rana McKay, a medical oncologist, discuss cancer care for patients at UC San Diego Health.
Who Is Eligible for the Clinic?
The clinic is designed for individuals with aggressive or advanced prostate cancer who want to know and receive guidance on all of their treatment choices. You may:
- Be newly diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer
- Have cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes or spread to other parts of the body (metastasized)
- Have cancer that is not responding to treatment
Before Your First Appointment
To provide us with as much information as possible about your diagnosis and health, please make sure we have all your medical records before your first visit. This may include the following:
Blood test results
Biopsy slides and pathology report
Imaging studies (MRI or CT)
Comprehensive, Personalized Treatments for High-Risk or Metastatic Prostate Cancer
At UC San Diego Health, you find a full range of treatment options for your cancer. In addition to standard treatment options for prostate cancer, which may include surgery and radiation therapy, patients at the Urologic Cancer Clinic have access to innovative systemic treatments, including novel therapies that may only be available through a clinical trial.
Your doctor may also recommend molecular and genetic profiling to tailor your treatment to your unique cancer.
Immunotherapy / Cancer Vaccine
Immunotherapy harnesses the body's own immune system to fight cancer. Depending on your health and response to prior treatment, you may be a candidate for an immunotherapy approach, including Sipuleucel-T, a cellular immunotherapy, often called a cancer vaccine therapy.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapies lower androgen levels in the body or prevent their interaction with cancer cells. If your cancer is aggressive or has spread outside the prostate, your medical oncologist may recommend:
- Androgen deprivation therapy, also called ADT, which lowers androgen levels in the testicles
- Anti-androgen therapy, which prevents androgens from interacting with cancer cells
Chemotherapy
Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy if your cancer has spread outside your prostate or hormone therapy isn’t working. Chemotherapy drugs are usually given through an infusion, or IV.
Targeted Therapy
For certain types of metastatic prostate cancer that have not responded to other anticancer therapeutics, we offer Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan), a radiation pharmaceutical administered through injection or infusion. The drug travels throughout the body and targets cancer cells with the PSMA biomarker, a protein found on most prostate cancer cells. Radiation is then released to damage and kill the cancer cells. The FDA approved the radiopharmaceutical in 2022 and UC San Diego Health was the first in San Diego to offer the new therapy.
Prostate Cancer Doctors A team approach to your care
At UC San Diego Health, your cancer care is led by a multidisciplinary team of doctors who specialize in your type of cancer. Highly specialized multidisciplinary care is a hallmark of top-tier academic medical centers such as UC San Diego Health. For patients like you, it means you receive the highest level of care. Find a metastatic prostate cancer specialist.
Clinical Trials
Advancing Cancer Care and Prevention
UC San Diego Health physicians are actively researching ways to improve cancer care. By joining a clinical trial, you may receive a new cancer treatment before it is available to the public. If your cancer has not responded to standard therapies, talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial could be right for you.
Patient & Family Support Services
At UC San Diego Health, your care goes beyond treating disease. It also includes supporting you and your loved ones emotionally throughout your cancer journey. Most of our support services are free.
Clinic Location
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