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Lin
Daniel W. Lin, MD
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Daniel W. Lin, MD

Surgery

Urology

  • Physician, Fred Hutch
  • Professor, Cancer Prevention Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch
  • Director, Institute for Prostate Cancer Research (IPCR), Fred Hutch
  • Co-Chair, Surgical Oncology, Department of Urology, UW Medicine
  • Chief of Urologic Oncology, UW Medicine
  • Professor, Department of Urology, University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Pritt Family Endowed Chair in Prostate Cancer Research, UW Medicine
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About

Dr. Daniel W. Lin is a board-certified urologist and researcher with a focus on genitourinary oncologic surgery at Fred Hutch.

Background

Dr. Lin specializes in the surgical treatment of genitourinary cancers, including kidney and prostate cancer, or malignancies of the reproductive organs and urinary system. He is chief of Urologic Oncology at the University of Washington and is director of the Institute for Prostate Cancer Research.

His research interests include genitourinary oncology, early detection and prevention. Dr. Lin’s research focuses on identifying and preventing aggressive prostate cancer, including metastatic recurrence, with particular interest in biomarkers, new imaging and ablative technologies and novel treatments. He has also participated in studies examining inherited risk for prostate cancer and how lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise may influence prostate cancer biology.

Through the Institute for Prostate Cancer Research, Dr. Lin supports studies using genomics and DNA sequencing in cancer care, strategies to harness the immune system through new immunotherapies and the development of advanced imaging techniques to support the management of patients with both early- and late-stage prostate cancer. He also chairs the Localized Prostate Cancer Committee of the SWOG Cancer Research Network and is active in the development of prostate cancer clinical trials.

Area of Clinical Practice
Genitourinary cancers, prostate cancer

“Educating a patient on options for their cancer, what to expect and what they may experience are all important components of providing care. The origin of the word “doctor” means “teacher,” and I embrace this part.”

— Dr. Lin

What brought you to oncology?

I come from a family of educators and physicians and went to college thinking I could do anything. I quickly realized biology and the study of cancer was my calling: My father is an academic pathologist, and I grew up hearing about tumors and sharing information about them for school reports. Teaching residents and medical students is very fulfilling, but educating patients is the most gratifying part of oncology to me.

What are you excited about from a research perspective?

I’m interested in understanding the biomarkers that indicate the aggressiveness of a person’s prostate cancer and learning how to prevent it. Is there something else we can measure to understand the behavior of their cancer? This can help us determine whether to recommend treatment or surveillance. 

For prevention, what conditions run in a patient’s genes? Can we help modulate any predisposition they may have by improving their diet and exercise? We know we are doing something to ourselves: Men in Asia don’t really get much prostate cancer, but when they immigrate to the West, they do. Many studies recognize that Japanese men are now getting more cancers similar to Caucasians. We are learning more about dietary risks, such as high-fat diets, that may play a role.

We have done experiments with diet, specifically high-fat versus low-fat diets, over six weeks and biopsied prostates to see if they can see a difference. The genes had favorable response to the diet. The question then moved to what to do with these patients and studies moved to specific foods and down to the enzyme level, we now have a study with a broccoli enzyme in pill-form that we are studying in men.

Diseases Treated

Bladder Cancer

Kidney Cancer

Penile Cancer

Prostate Cancer

Testicular Cancer

Current Projects

Dose-response Relationships Between Circulating and Intraprostatic Androgens in Men

Languages

English

Education and Experience

Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Fellowship, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Residency, Urology, University of Washington

Internship, Surgery, University of Washington

MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

BS, Stanford University

Board Certifications

Urology, 2013, 2003; American Board of Urology

Awards

Seattle Met's 2025 Top Doctors Award
Dr. Lin has received this peer-nominated award for exceptional patient care for multiple years.

Seattle Magazine's 2025 Top Doctors Award
Dr. Lin has received this peer-nominated award for exceptional patient care for multiple years.

Clinical Trials

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians and researchers. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Dr. Lin

Publications

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians and researchers conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by others in their field and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Lin's Publications

Your Care Team

At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes physicians, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like registered dietitians, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders. 

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Insurance

Fred Hutch accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.

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Stories

All news
Travel writer takes an unexpected cancer journey
Travel writer takes an unexpected cancer journey Writer and TV host Rick Steves deals with a prostate cancer diagnosis and offers hope to others December 17, 2024
Polygenic risk scores and prostate cancer
Polygenic risk scores and prostate cancer New research shows genetic risk scores could help distinguish who can cut back on ‘active surveillance’ December 12, 2024
BRCA1/2: Why men should be screened for the “breast cancer gene”
BRCA1/2: Why men should be screened for the “breast cancer gene” New research shows that men can carry mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that increase their risk of several cancers, but new national guidelines are helping to educate patients July 25, 2024

Contact Information

206.667.1342

206.667.4663