Prostate Cancer Program

Our approach to prostate cancer care

We typically see patients within a week of referral. At your first visit, you will meet a multidisciplinary team that may include urologists and surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists.

You may also be supported by specialists such as pathologists, radiologists, oncology nurses and nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and social workers, a nutritionist, and sexual health experts.

Your care team includes subspecialized pathologists who focus on genitourinary cancers and help ensure your diagnosis is precise.

We perform a Gleason score analysis for prostate cancer to assess how the tumor may behave. We also use advanced biomarker testing to better understand the risk level and help guide personalized treatment decisions.

In addition to standard imaging, we are advancing new approaches through clinical trials. These include:

• Advanced MRI techniques to improve cancer detection
• Novel PET imaging to better identify the extent of disease, including possible spread to lymph nodes or bone
• Nanoparticle-enhanced MRI, developed at Mass General Brigham, to detect cancer in lymph nodes that may be missed by other methods

Your treatment may involve non-surgical treatment, such as:

• Focal therapy — targets cancer cells while reducing harm to healthy cells
• Hormone therapy — offsets hormone levels that can fuel cancer’s growth

We also provide advanced radiation treatment options.

We offer a range of radiation treatments for prostate cancer, tailored to each patient’s needs:

• Brachytherapy (HDR and LDR): Internal radiation delivered directly to the prostate
• Hypofractionated radiation therapy: Higher doses over a shorter treatment course
• Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT): Highly focused radiation delivered in a few sessions
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): Precisely shaped radiation beams that conform to the tumor
• Adaptive radiation therapy: MRI- or CT-guided treatment that adjusts based on daily imaging
• Proton therapy: Precise radiation that targets cancer while sparing healthy tissue
• Radiopharmaceuticals: Targeted radioactive treatments delivered through the bloodstream

We have a long history of innovation in theranostics, including the development of radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer more than 80 years ago. Today, theranostic approaches are used to diagnose and treat a range of cancers, including prostate cancer, at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute.