The Prostate Net

11/13/2025

During the second session by the EAU Section on Urological Imaging on Day 1 at EMUC25 in Prague, presenters shared updates in screening for renal, bladder, and prostate cancer (beyond Europe), as well as an ‘out of the box’ topic “Whole body MRI screening tool for healthy people, is this a tool for the future?”.

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During the second session by the EAU Section on Urological Imaging on Day 1 at EMUC25 in Prague, presenters shared updates in screening for renal, bladder, and prostate cancer (beyond Europe), as well as an ‘out of the box’ topic “Whole body MRI screening tool for healthy people, is this a too...

11/12/2025

China’s new scientist visa is a ‘serious bid’ for the world’s top talent.

China has introduced a visa that will allow young foreign researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to move there without having to secure a job first.

The country is easing migration for young researchers to boost its competitiveness in artificial intelligence, robotics and new materials.

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The country is easing migration for young researchers to boost its competitiveness in artificial intelligence, robotics and new materials.

11/11/2025

Five genes with variants linked to aggressive prostate cancer in Black people!

New prostate cancer research from an international team led by the Center for Genetic Epidemiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has yielded discoveries that could improve screening and treatment for patients of African ancestry.

The five genes are labeled ATM, BRCA2, CHEK2, HOXB13 and PALB2. Study participants carrying disease-causing variants of these genes were up to six times as likely to develop prostate cancer compared to those without them.

Carriers of dangerous genetic variants who also had prostate cancer in their families and polygenic risk scores in the top 10% faced the highest risk of potentially life-threatening disease. Compared to those at average risk, they were seven times more likely to develop prostate cancer, 18 times more likely to have aggressive disease, and 34 times more likely to get metastatic cancer.

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New prostate cancer research from an international team led by the Center for Genetic Epidemiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has yielded discoveries that could improve screening and treatment for patients of African ancestry.

11/10/2025

The 4D PICTURE project aims to help cancer patients, their families, and healthcare providers better understand their options. It supports their treatment and care choices, at each stage of disease, by drawing on large amounts of evidence from different types of European data. The project involves experts from many different specialist areas who are based in nine European countries. The overall aim is to improve the cancer patient journey and ensure personal preferences are respected. Information on the European overview can be seen at: https://4dpicture.eu/

The Spanish team based out of the School of Engineering and Architecture in Zaragoza is driving an initiative titled: "Supporting Design-Based and Data-Driven Decision Making: Improving Cancer Outcomes through User-Centered Research". Access to the questionnaire for the project caan be found at: https://www.encuestafacil.com/respweb/cuestionarios.aspx?EID=2994426

11/07/2025

The loss of testosterone has long been related to problems resulting from prostate cancer treatments, aging, and more. Testosterone replacement therapy has become a topic among men seeking to enhance their s*x drives, regain muscle mass, and vibrancy in their lives.

Just as estrogen is a crucial hormone for men, testosterone is an important hormone for women, instrumental in the development of bones, muscles and s*xual function. With less available testosterone, women may have fewer erotic thoughts and less motivation to pursue s*xual pleasure; some of the mechanisms that make s*x feel good can falter, such as the production of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes the muscles around the cl****is and allows for greater blood flow.

For men experiencing the effects of low testosterone the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved more than 30 products since the 1950s; and yet, to this day, there is no F.D.A.-approved testosterone cream, patch, pill or shot for women, even though their testosterone levels fall far more precipitously than men’s as they age.

High-quality research has shown that testosterone can meaningfully revive s*x drive when prescribed in doses that restore women to roughly the levels they had in their late 30s.

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There is no F.D.A.-approved testosterone product for women. Insurance won’t cover it. Many doctors won’t prescribe it. It’s become a cultural phenomenon.

11/06/2025

This video roundtable explores the distinction and relationship between diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and the pursuit of health equity, and the hurdles for improving health equity in the current era.

Read the article and/or watch the video at: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2514402

Key comment in summary from Dr. Merlin Chowkwanyun: "History tells you that nothing is inevitable and nothing is permanent. History is a human-made thing. And so if bad things are done by humans, it means they can be undone by humans. But sometimes the fatalism can trap people. But I think it’s useful to actually think that over the arc of time, things actually have not been permanent. And that is actually a very liberating thought in a dark time."

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This video roundtable explores the distinction and relationship between diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and the pursuit of health equity, and the hurdles for improving health equity in...

11/05/2025

"Access to private health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces is expected to tighten because of reduced subsidies (in the form of tax credits) and increasing premiums. As a result, nearly 2 million community health center (CHC) patients are likely to lose their coverage, with even greater losses likely in the coming years as patients struggle with high costs."

Read the article at: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2025/millions-community-health-center-patients-lose-coverage-when-tax-credits-expire?

CHCs serve community residents regardless of ability to pay; loss of revenue from private insurance and Medicaid will put a strain on CHCs’ finances and capacity.

10/31/2025

In a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, investigators reported the final 23-year analysis of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), quantifying benefits, harms, and practice implications.

The 23-year ERSPC trial reveals that sustained, protocolized PSA testing lowers prostate cancer deaths and improves the benefit-to-harm ratio, supporting a shift toward risk-based, patient-centered screening strategies.

Long-term, protocolized PSA screening reduces deaths from prostate cancer but increases testing, biopsies, and diagnoses, many for low-risk disease. Shared decision-making should incorporate individual risk, baseline PSA levels, life expectancy, and personal values. Risk calculators and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pathways can help decouple an elevated PSA from the need for immediate biopsy, while active surveillance can spare treatment for low-risk tumors.

The study noted that very low baseline or age-60 PSA strongly predicts lifetime risk, supporting longer intervals or screening cessation in low-risk men. Overall, targeted screening can preserve mortality benefits, lessen overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and better align care with what matters to patients.

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After 23 years of follow-up, the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) confirmed a 13% lower prostate cancer mortality with PSA testing and an improved harm–benefit ratio over time. Risk-based screening could sustain mortality gains while reducing overdiagnosis and unn...

10/28/2025

Men with suspected prostate cancer will be able to get a diagnosis from the NHS within a day under a new trial hailed as a potential “game changer”. Artificial intelligence will be used to interpret MRI scans for men suspected of having the disease, helping to spot lesions within minutes.

Under current best practice guidelines, patients with suspected prostate cancer should receive an MRI and biopsy within a week of an urgent GP referral, but waits can be longer depending on the capacity of radiologists.

"The AI tool could represent a further step change, saving men prolonged anxiety and the bother of hospital trips, while also increasing capacity for our hard-working NHS workforce."

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The trial will test 10,000 scans at up to 15 hospitals across the country and will be rolled out nationally if successful.

10/28/2025

Another result of the Trump attack on research.

Beijing wants to double down on advanced semiconductor technologies, artificial intelligence and basic research.

10/20/2025

Applications are now open for the Nature Awards Healthspan Accelerator.

Four carefully chosen applicants will each be awarded a $10,000 Nature Award and gain entry to our residential accelerator programme.

We are especially interested in passionate scientists early in their career leading the work alongside a seasoned PI.

Applications submital close on December 10th. For more information see:

Better science ➡ Better translation ➡ Better health

10/10/2025

Adoption of a plant-rich “planetary health diet” could prevent 40,000 early deaths a day across the world, according to a landmark report.

The planetary health diet (PHD) sets out how the world can simultaneously improve the health of people and the planet, and provide enough food for an expected global population of 9.6 billion people by 2050.

People in the US and Canada eat more than seven times the PHD’s recommended amount of red meat, while it is five times more in Europe and Latin America, and four times more in China.

2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet and 1 billion are undernourished, despite enough food being produced globally. The food system is also failing the 1 billion people living with obesity, the report said.

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Diet allows modest meat consumption and would also slash food-related climate emissions by half, says report by 70 leading experts from 35 countries