OBJECTIVES: Even though prostate cancer has one of the highest incidences of cancer, there is very limited data available on treatment patterns in Brazil. This study aimed to describe treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization associated with PC in Brazil in 2012. METHODS: Overall clinical practice for management of prostate cancer was investigated through a physician face-to-face survey. Eligible criteria were medical oncologists and/or urologists with clinical experience with prostate cancer patients, including hormonal therapy, with a minimum volume of 30 patients/month. Clinical experts were consecutively selected based on a high prescriber database and stratified by type of healthcare sector (public/private). RESULTS: Twenty physicians (70% oncologists; 30% urologists) currently treating 1,325 patients answered the questionnaire. Significant differences were found on treatment patterns when comparing public and private healthcare physician responses. In localized PC patients, radical prostatectomy was more commonly used in the private than in the public settings. For advanced stage patients, surgical androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was used in 7% in private healthcare and in 37% of public patients. In metastatic castration resistant patients (mCRPC), first line chemotherapy of choice was docetaxel. However, second line treatment varied between mitoxantrone (32% private, 50% public), cabazitaxel (54% private, 18% public) and docetaxel re-challenge (11% private, 29% public). Health care resource utilization increases as disease progresses: from mean 14.1 blood tests/year (blood count, blood chemistry, functional liver test and PSA) in localized PC while receiving treatment to 22 blood tests/year in advanced tumor and 40.05 blood tests/year in mCRPC. The same trend is observed with specialist visits and emergency room, but not with image testing.  CONCLUSIONS: Both treatment patterns and resource use are different when comparing private and public settings. Access to new technologies may be an important factor in explaining this difference.