Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men and the second leading cause of cancer death.  Approximately 15% of all men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. While the majority of these men have non-aggressive prostate cancer and die of other causes, it is critically important to identify and treat aggressive cancers before they escape the prostate.

At Stanford, our doctors are leaders in the use of a new, image-targeted approach to quickly and accurately diagnose prostate cancer. Combining ultrasound with a multi-parametric prostate MRI technique developed at Stanford, targeted biopsy offers a number of benefits over conventional biopsy methods.

These benefits include:

• Sophisticated targeting of cancers that would be missed by the standard biopsy technique
• The ability to access 100% of the prostate, compared to less than 1% using conventional methods
• An improved capacity to distinguish aggressive cancers requiring treatment from less aggressive cancers that need only to be monitored
• Reduced need for repeat biopsy in the future by reducing the chance of missing aggressive cancers

After seeing his PSA levels continually increase over several years, William Armstrong came to Stanford to take an aggressive approach to diagnosing and treating his prostate cancer.

The doctors of the Stanford Urologic Cancer Program are dedicated to preserving quality of life and providing exceptional care directed by customized treatment plans for each patient.

Advanced treatments and technologies available at Stanford include:

• State-of-the-art surgical techniques, including minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgery
• Immunotherapies to leverage the body's immune system to eliminate cancer
• Image-guided 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy to reduce damage to important structures surrounding the prostate
• Clinical trials of the latest prostate cancer treatments