• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
Prostate Cancer Program

UCLA Prostate Cancer Program

Prostate Cancer Program
  • Why UCLA
  • What is Prostate Cancer
  • Diagnosis
    • Get an Expert Second Opinion
  • Treatment
    • Low Risk Prostate Cancer
    • Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer
    • High Risk Prostate Cancer
    • Advanced Prostate Cancer
    • Recurrent Prostate Cancer
  • For Patients
    • Educational Materials
    • Videos and Patient Stories
  • Research
  • Clinical Trials
  • Prostate Cancer Doctors
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

UCLA Prostate Cancer Program

Treatment

Treatment

Treatment

  • Low Risk Prostate Cancer
  • Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer
  • High Risk Prostate Cancer
  • Advanced Prostate Cancer
  • Recurrent Prostate Cancer
  • Low Risk Prostate Cancer
  • Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer
  • High Risk Prostate Cancer
  • Advanced Prostate Cancer
  • Recurrent Prostate Cancer
  1. Home
  2. Prostate Cancer Program
  3. Treatment
  4. Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Share this
Request An Appointment

Phone: 310-794-7700

Treatment for Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Unfortunately, some men will have recurrent prostate cancer after treatment for localized prostate cancer. This is typically found during follow-up due to a rising PSA. PSA can be more valuable after initial treatment in detecting a recurrence (especially in men who were first treated with surgery).  The best treatment options for a rising PSA depends on the overall initial cancer characteristic and the location of suspected recurrence. The importance of having access to state-of-the-art imaging (MRI, PSMA and PET CT) is critical to determine if the cancer has returned locally or distantly as this will impact treatment.

Diagnosis and Imaging 

Here are UCLA we often a combination of MRI, PSMA and Axumin to determine the precise location of cancer recurrences. This helps our multidisciplinary treatment teams determine the next best treatment options.

Prostatectomy Followed by Radiation

Some men will benefit from surgery after radiation if the recurrence is localized to the prostate. This is a very technically challenging operation and requires significant expertise to perform safely. Our surgeons at UCLA have extensive experience performing these surgeries and most often performed with robotic assistance. This procedure is called salvage prostatectomy and is most frequently performed by Dr. Robert Reiter. We also have extensive experience in utilizing HIFU and cryotherapy in men that require salvage therapy after radiation but are not able to undergo surgery.

Salvage therapies 

In men who were initially treated with surgery, if there is a rise in the PSA and a local recurrence, often radiation therapy is used. Our urologists work very closely with radiation oncologists to determine when to treat patients with salvage radiation, including for nodal recurrences. Utilizing MRI and PSMA imaging, allows us to provide treatment directly to the site of recurrence. Our surgeons also perform salvage pelvic node dissections using PSMA guidance to do the surgery via a clinical trial protocol. 

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • Find a Doctor
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Subscribe
  • Patient Stories
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • International Services
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Billing
  • Health Plans
  • Emergency
  • Report Broken Links
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Your Feedback
  • Report Misconduct
  • Get Social
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest