Dr. Matthew Rettig

Dr. Matthew Rettig directs the Prostate Cancer Program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and serves as Chief of Hematology-Oncology at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, guiding urologic surgeons, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, nutritionists, and social-work experts through a cohesive, patient-centered model of care. Every new referral undergoes immediate review of imaging, genomic classifiers, and laboratory values during a multidisciplinary conference, allowing the team to determine stage, clarify risk, and present a coordinated treatment plan before the patient departs the clinic. Nurse navigators schedule subsequent visits, provide plain-language summaries, and link families to telehealth check-ins that monitor treatment tolerance and quality-of-life metrics. Quarterly quality-assurance audits compare outcomes with national standards, and improvements feed directly into updated care pathways. This integrated framework—built around prostate cancer expert care, shared decision making, supportive oncology—gives individuals a clear road map and the confidence that every specialist is working toward the same goal.

 

Dr. Rettig oversees a translational-science program that investigates androgen-receptor signaling, DNA-damage-repair vulnerabilities, and metabolic reprogramming in advanced prostate cancer, then converts laboratory discoveries into early-phase studies. His group cultures patient-derived xenografts and organoids, screens combinations of AR inhibitors with PARP or AKT blockade, and maps resistance pathways to inform adaptive trial designs. Findings have seeded an enzalutamide-PARP-inhibitor flagship trial that measures molecular response with ultrasensitive circulating-tumor-DNA assays, bringing innovation in prostate cancer research trials directly to the bedside. Weekly translational meetings unite basic scientists, biostatisticians, and clinician investigators to refine eligibility criteria, align pharmacodynamic markers, and shorten time from bench to patient. By marrying discovery science to clinical execution inside a single program, Dr. Rettig offers treatments crafted from the exact biology of each tumor, assuring patients that tomorrow’s therapies are available today.

 

Education and outreach form the third pillar of Dr. Rettig’s mission. He mentors fellows through case-based curricula that weave genomics, imaging, and survivorship principles into routine care, and he chairs continuing-education symposia that translate emerging data on hormonal therapy, targeted agents, and survivorship into usable guidance for community oncologists. Partnerships with veteran-advocacy groups yield bilingual workshops on early detection, financial toxicity, and symptom self-management; livestreamed town halls extend these resources to families nationwide. At the VA, he deploys artificial-intelligence models to predict metastatic recurrence and tailors follow-up schedules accordingly, demonstrating how precision analytics can improve access and outcomes. These initiatives—medical education, prostate cancer awareness, patient empowerment—equip individuals to ask informed questions and participate actively in decisions, turning complex information into actionable knowledge.