Gov. Jerry Brown to get additional treatment for prostate cancer

Gov. Jerry Brown delivers the State of the State address at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Gov. Jerry Brown delivers the State of the State address at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Gov. Jerry Brown to get additional treatment for prostate cancer 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown will undergo additional treatment for prostate cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2012, his office announced Saturday.

The 78-year-old governor will continue to work during a short course of radiation therapy, and his prognosis is excellent, Dr. Eric Small, Brown’s oncologist at UCSF Medical Center, said in a statement.

“Fortunately, this is not extensive disease,” Small said in the statement released by Brown’s office. “There are not expected to be any significant side effects.”

Brown first disclosed he was being treated for prostate cancer in 2012. He received radiotherapy then for what Small described then as “early-stage, localized prostate cancer.”

In 2011, Brown underwent outpatient surgery to remove a slow-growing form of skin cancer on his nose. The illnesses are common as people age.

The governor will receive the additional treatment between late February and early March, his office said in a statement. He will continue his full work schedule during the treatment.

Radiation therapy is a standard treatment when the cancer is localized to the prostate and hasn't spread to other parts of the body. Radiation can be applied two different ways — either externally, through beams directed at the cancerous area, or internally, through radioactive seeds the size of a rice grain that are implanted in the prostate. Brown’s office did not comment further on the governor’s diagnosis or treatment.

Brown will term out as governor in 2018. He has not announced any plans to run for another office. Brown and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, are having a home built at his family’s Colusa County ranch.

Brown’s announcement comes after Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton announced last week that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Dayton, 69, made the announcement the day after he collapsed during his State of the State speech Monday.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez