Cancer Support Groups
The UCSF Cancer Resource Center offers numerous support groups for cancer patients and families. The support groups are free and available to all patients, whether or not they get their health care at UCSF, unless otherwise noted in the description. Most groups require participants to be in the state of California during the meeting. Please inquire with the facilitator for more information.
UCSF Offerings
Support groups for patients
The UCSF All Cancer Support Group is a free weekly gathering open to patients with cancer of any type and in any stage. Please contact us for more information and to register. Please note that this group is for patients only.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Wednesdays, 4:00–5:30 p.m.
Contact: [email protected]
The UCSF Anal Cancer Support Group for Women is a designed for women who have been diagnosed with anal cancer and are in any stage of treatment.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Fourth Tuesday of the month, 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-502-1887
The UCSF Bladder Cancer Educational and Support Group is available so that patients with bladder cancer as well as their caregivers and family members may share experiences, educate one another and support each other.
Location: Telehealth format. Call for information and availability.
Meetings: First Thursday of the month, 4:00–5:30 p.m.
Contact: 628-224-7739
The UCSF Blood Cancer Support Group is an informal educational support group for hematology and bone marrow transplant patients. Family members and friends are welcome. Registration is required.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Second Tuesday of the month, 3:00–4:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-353-2965
The UCSF Brain Tumor Support Group is provided for patients diagnosed with a primary brain tumor to share experiences and concerns and to learn from each other. Family members and caregivers are welcome.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: First Wednesday of the month, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-990-4461 or 415-661-1442
This peer-led virtual support group is designed for adults ages 18 through 42 who are diagnosed with a primary brain tumor.
Location: Online. Please register for information and availability.
Meetings: Last Thursday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m. (rescheduled for holiday conflicts)
Registration: Required for this group. Please complete and sign the registration form.
The UCSF Advanced Breast Cancer Support Group is offered for patients who have been diagnosed with stage-4 breast cancer.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: First and third Tuesday of the month, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-476-3315
The UCSF General Breast Cancer Support Group is offered for patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in stage 1, 2 or 3.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Third Thursday of the month. 1:00–2:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-514-7972
The UCSF Breast Care Center's Young Women's Support Group is for women 45 years or younger with early-stage breast cancer receiving care at UCSF. We hope to enable shared stories, connection, and learning.
Co-facilitators: Chiara Leifer, LCSW, and Debby Hamolsky, RN, MSN
Expert faculty and staff guest speakers will join us.
Location: Hybrid. Please contact us for information
Contact: [email protected]
Nuestro grupo de apoyo brinda un espacio seguro para conectarse con otras personas que se enfrentan al cáncer.
Lugar: En línea: Comuníquese con nosotros para recibir información y disponibilidad.
Reuniones: Cada cuarto jueves del mes de 2:30 p. m. a 3:30 p.m.
Contacto: Llámenos al 415-502-4636 o envíenos un email a [email protected] para registrarse.
The UCSF Colorectal Cancer Support Group provides space for people living with various types of colon cancer to share experiences, concerns and questions. Partners are also welcome to attend.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Second and fourth Monday of the month, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Contact: For questions about the group, please contact: Vittorio Comelli, 415-203-9619.
Sign-up: To request sign-up, please message: [email protected] or call 415-885-3693.
This virtual support group is designed for people who are diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer before age 50.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Fourth Monday of the month, 10:30–11:45 a.m.
Contact: Erin Schwartz, LCSW, [email protected] or 415-514-7972
The UCSF Head and Neck Cancer Education and Support Group is a free monthly gathering open to patients and caregivers. Teaches tools for coping with both physical and emotional aspects of head and neck cancer. Educational sessions and support groups alternate each month. It's an opportunity to learn, share and support one another.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Third Thursdays of the month, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Contact: Dennis Ho, 415-514-6338 or [email protected] or the UCSF Patient and Family Cancer Support Center, 415-885-3693 or [email protected]
The UCSF Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Support Group is available for all patients who have been diagnosed with lung cancer or mesothelioma.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Second Tuesday of the month, 12:00–1:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-885-7789
The Neuroendocrine Tumor Support Group, hosted by NorCal CarciNET and UCSF, is open to patients with these cancers as well as their partners and caregivers.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: First Wednesday of odd-numbered months, 12:00–2 p.m.
Contact: [email protected]
https://norcalcarcinet.org/meeting-schedule
This support group is designed for UCSF oncology patients who are navigating their diagnosis while also parenting young children and teens. Parenting doesn't pause for cancer, and you don't have to navigate it alone. Patients at any stage of their treatment, including remission, are welcome to join. This group offers a compassionate, confidential place to connect with other parents, share experiences and learn practical ways to care for yourself while supporting your children's developmental needs.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Third Wednesday of the month, 12:00–1 p.m.
Contact: Amelia Al-Najjar, LCSW, at [email protected] or 415-518-4660
The UCSF Prostate Cancer Support Group is open to patients as well as partners, family members, friends and caregivers.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Second Tuesday of the month, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
Contact: 415-514-1707
The UCSF Prostate Cancer Support Group for Gay Men is offered as a place for gay men and their partners to exchange information, support each other and improve symptom management. It is open to UCSF patients and also to the community.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: First and third Monday of the month, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Contact: For questions about the group, please contact: Vittorio Comelli, 415-203-9619.
Sign-up: To request sign-up, please message: [email protected] or call 415-885-3693.
This support group welcomes women with any type of cancer diagnosis who are receiving treatment at UCSF.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: First Wednesday of each month, 12:00–1 p.m.
Contact: Anna Alper, 415-502-4938
Support groups for caregivers and friends
The UCSF Brain Tumor Caregiver Support Group is facilitated by a social worker who specializes in neuro-oncology. This emotional support group is open to caregivers of UCSF neuro-oncology patients only. Registration is required. Visit the UCSF Brain Tumor Center's Neuro-Oncology Gordon Murray Caregiver Program to learn more about support services for caregivers.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Contact: 415-514-5674
The UCSF Caregivers+ Support Group is open to anyone who offers emotional and practical support to a loved one with cancer. Participants learn tools to cope with the psychological and physical aspects of caring for a loved one and to find ways of nurturing themselves.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Second Wednesday of the month, 12:00–1:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-502-1887
The UCSF All Cancer Support Group for Husbands and Male Partners is for men whose significant other has cancer. The group explores positive ways of coping, provides emotional support and shares information on treatments, side effects, complementary therapies, financial concerns and insurance issues.
Location: Online. Please contact us for information and availability.
Meetings: Second and fourth Tuesday of the month, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Contact: 415-885-3693
One-to-one peer support
UCSF PeerTalk connects you with a peer mentor, another patient who has received cancer care at UCSF. Mentors share their experience, practical tips and encouragement – and are simply there to listen when you need it. All cancer patients are welcome regardless of where they receive medical care.
Contact: Connect with a peer mentor through the UCSF PeerTalk website
Support offered by trusted partners
Support groups
The goal of the group is to provide a supportive and safe place to share concerns and get emotional support, faith, hope and information as you face a diagnosis and treatment for cancer. For patients only.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: First and third Wednesdays of each month, 6:00–8 p.m.
Contact: The Imani African American Cancer Support Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
This support group is for African American women living with cancer or after remission.
Location: Online.
Meetings: Three offerings: First Wednesday of each month, 6:00–8 p.m.; Second Thursday of each month, 6:00–8 p.m.; Third Wednesday of each month, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Contact: To register for the group, call the Women’s Cancer Resource Center at 510-601-4040 and leave a message. You will be contacted to complete the intake process.
What does it mean to be a BIPOC caregiver or support person dealing with caring for a cancer patient and a health care system that is full of inequities? This networking group is a place to talk about identity, adjustment and complex decisions that come with caregiving within complex systems. We welcome caregivers and support persons of individuals living with cancer.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: Second Tuesday of each month, 5:30–7 p.m.
Contact: The Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Caregivers Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
The Chinese Cancer Support Group provides a safe and culturally inclusive space for adult cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.
互助小組主要以中文進行，免費參加。歡迎成年癌症患者、康復者及其照顧者加入。讓我們一同建立一個充滿關愛、支持與力量的社群。
Location: Cameron House, 920 Sacramento Street, San Francisco
Meetings: Second and fourth Mondays of each month, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Contact: Ms. Jiang, 415-781-0401, ext. 125
For people at elevated risk of developing cancer. We'll be asking and answering questions about when and why oncology preventive surgeries are available, how we can learn about our own surgery options and how oncology preventive surgeries are different from other oncology surgeries.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: First Thursday of each month, 4:00–6 p.m.
Contact: ROOTS is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
By the Bay Health offers a range of in-person and virtual groups and workshops for people living with grief. Learn more about their offerings on their website. Their online Weekly Grief Support Group is free and open to all.
Location: Online. Pre-registration required.
Meetings: Tuesdays, 12:00–1 p.m.
Contact: 415-526-5699
A weekly support group for people who have lost someone to cancer.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: Wednesdays, 6:00–8 p.m.
Contact: Grief and Bereavement is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
Un espacio seguro donde las personas pueden compartir sus experiencias, recibir apoyo y orientación, y conectarse con otros que entienden lo que implica enfrentar el cáncer. Pacientes, sobrevivientes y sus seres queridos son bienvenidos.
Location: Virtual. Debe ser residente de California.
Meetings: Los segundos y cuartos martes de cada mes, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Contact: Para más información, llame al 925-933-0107.
This support group is for individuals diagnosed with a gynecological or ovarian cancer. Members are welcome to join at any stage of their journey, from newly diagnosed through survivorship.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: First and third Tuesdays of each month, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Contact: The Gynecologic/Ovarian Cancer support group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
This is a patient-led support group within the UCSF Gynecologic Oncology Clinic.
Location: Bay Area or online. Please contact for information and availability.
Meetings: Third Saturday of each month, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Contact: [email protected]
For cancer patients and survivors who are LGBTQ+ to gather, share stories and information and be in community with each other.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: First and third Thursdays of each month, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Contact: The LGBTQ+ Cancer Care Support Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
A support group for people with any stage lung cancer and their loved ones.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: First Wednesday of each month, 4:00–6 p.m.
Contact: The Lung Cancer Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
A group for people who have lymphedema as a result of cancer treatment.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: Second Tuesday of each month, 5:00–6:30 p.m.
Contact: The Lymphedema Support Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
A support group for men with metastatic prostate cancer and their loved ones.
Location: Online and in person (hybrid). Must be a California resident.
Meetings: Second and fourth Thursdays of each month, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Contact: The Prostate Cancer Support Group – Metastatic is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
This support group is for individuals who have completed active cancer treatment and are navigating survivorship. Members who are receiving maintenance treatments are also welcome.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: Second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, 4:00–6 p.m.
Contact: The Survivors – Life Beyond Cancer Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
This support group is for women living with any stage of cancer.
Location: Online.
Meetings: Second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Contact: To register for the group, call the Women’s Cancer Resource Center at 510-601-4040 and leave a message. You will be contacted to complete the intake process.
This support group is for women living with advanced stage (also called metastatic) cancer.
Location: Online.
Meetings: Every Tuesday, 12:30–2 p.m. and 5:30–7 p.m.
Contact: To register for the group, call the Women’s Cancer Resource Center at 510-601-4040 and leave a message. You will be contacted to complete the intake process.
A cancer diagnosis can affect individuals in different ways, especially if you are a young person. This support group is designed for young adults ages 18 through their mid-40s who are undergoing cancer treatment or navigating life after treatment.
Location: Online. Must be a California resident.
Meetings: Second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, 4:00–6 p.m.
Contact: The Young Adult Cancer Support Group is part of the UCSF Cancer Support Community (CSC). To join this group, complete an online New Member Registration Form and contact Manager Maricela Becerra by email at [email protected] or phone at 925-933-0107.
One-to-one peer support
Run by FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer EMPOWERED), the Peer Navigation Program connects you with a trained volunteer who can help you navigate the decisions you face about hereditary cancer or cancer risk.
Contact: Fill out the form on Facing Our Risk’s Peer Navigation Program website.
AliveandKick'n has partnered with Imerman Angels to provide peer-to-peer support specifically for the Lynch syndrome community, whether you are a cancer fighter, survivor, previvor, caregiver or family member.
Contact: Alive and Kick’n’s Peer Support website.
Hope for Two . . . The Pregnant with Cancer Network is an international nonprofit organization for women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy. Our mission is to connect women who are pregnant with cancer with other women who have been pregnant with the same type of cancer.
Contact: Call 1-800-743-4471 or complete the form at the Hope for Two website.
Our support groups are made possible in part by a generous donation from the Donna Smith Fund. Donna fought cancer with an indomitable spirit and left a legacy of encouraging patient and family participation in each cancer care journey.
Support services
Art for Recovery
Creativity can help people with serious illnesses cope, heal and express what they're going through. Find out about our program and how to join.
Cancer Exercise Counseling
Our one-on-one exercise training sessions, customized for your needs and abilities, can complement other cancer treatments and speed your recovery.
Core and More Class for Cancer Patients
A strong body helps you fight cancer and enjoy life. Join this class to stabilize your core, strengthen your muscles and improve overall fitness. For cancer patients and caregivers!
Friend to Friend Specialty Shops
A one-stop boutique for patients with cancer. Get professional help with wigs, prostheses, sun-protective clothing, makeup, skin care and more.
Kôz Hospitality House
Kôz Hospitality House provides comfortable, reasonably priced accommodations near our Parnassus campus for UCSF patients during their treatment.
Meditation and Guided Imagery for Cancer Patients
Drop in for a free class designed to help you heal, relax and find balance during your treatment. UCSF and non-UCSF patients are welcome.
Oncology Social Work
Social workers offer support, problem-solving, help accessing UCSF cancer-related resources and more. Find out how to contact the social worker for your clinic.
Patient & Family Cancer Support Center
The center offers wellness programming, community, support groups, classes, workshops and more at no cost to people facing cancer and their loved ones.
Peer Support Programs for Cancer
PeerTalk connects interested cancer patients with cancer survivors who can share their own experience to provide emotional and practical support.
UCSF Patient Support Corps
Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is stressful. Get guidance, support and answers to your questions here as you consider your options and make decisions.