The Prostate Net

12/02/2025

Policy shifts in the Trump administration mean that researchers are getting less money on average, and less time to spend it, which means less research was funded in areas such as aging, diabetes, strokes, cancer and mental health.

The White House has said it plans to continue this policy in 2026, while proposing to shrink the NIH’s budget by $18 billion, or nearly 40 percent.

Research for the article concluded the following:

Fewer grants in every area of science and medicine
More competition
A drop in grants mentioning diversity
Fewer fellowships for future scientists

"But many experts worry that the recent funding cuts and budget reductions may threaten America’s role as a global scientific leader.

“I personally know many scientists in my field leaving the United States altogether,”

Read the article at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/02/upshot/trump-science-funding-cuts.html

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A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.

11/25/2025

A recent study by The Commonwealth Fund showed "More than two in five U.S. primary care physicians (P*P) report burnout — one of the highest rates among 10 high-income countries - citing Administrative burden as the top reason for their burnout."

"In the United States, P*P burnout contributes to $260 million in excess health spending every year, largely from high turnover forcing practices to replace clinicians who have left. Burnout has also been shown to reduce clinicians’ productivity, increase the incidence of medical errors, and erode the physician–patient relationship. Beyond the harm to patients and the health system, burnout takes a physical toll on clinicians, worsening their health and contributing to depression and stress."

The survey of 10,895 primary care physicians was conducted from March 12 to September 22, 2025, in 10 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In nearly all countries, at least one of five primary care physicians were experiencing burnout at the time of the survey, with the Netherlands and Switzerland as the exceptions. In half the countries, a third or more physicians were burned out. The U.S. topped this list with more than two of five P*Ps in crisis.

This has an obvious impact in the U.S. with diseases like prostate and breast cancer where early detection and intervention are key in successful management of the patient's condition.

Read the article at:

This survey brief examines factors contributing to burnout among primary care physicians in 10 countries and strategies to combat it and improve system performance.

11/25/2025

A major prostate cancer screening trial aimed at finding the best way to detect the disease has been launched in the UK. The £42 million Transform trial is funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The trial will recruit men aged 50-74, with a lower age limit of 45 for black men, who have twice the risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer compared with white men.The trial will look at how rapid MRI scans of the prostate could be combined with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests in order to improve the accuracy of cancer diagnosis.The trial will also use spit tests, which extract DNA from saliva, to see if this is more accurate than PSA readings.

The opening of the trial comes a week before the National Screening Committee (NSC) - an expert body that advises the NHS - is due to announce whether to recommend the introduction of screening for the disease, the most common cancer in men in the UK.

Previously, the NSC had concluded that the harms of screening outweighed the benefits.

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The study aims to find the best way to detect prostate cancer - the most common cancer in men in the UK.

11/24/2025

A recent article in Nature explores the potential for a stock-market crash that could have knock-on effects for funding and jobs, given that "...there is now 17 times more investment in AI than in Internet companies before the dot-com crash of the early 2000s."

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The rise in artificial-intelligence technologies is unprecedented, but some predict a stock-market crash that could have knock-on effects for funding and jobs.

11/19/2025

Canada courts US researchers and signals wider commitment to science.

The contents of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first federal budget, released on 4 November, came as a relief to many researchers in Canada – because a large cut to the country’s three main research-funding councils failed to materialize. The nation has also poured further investment into attracting international scientists from abroad.

“It shows that they understand that science is central to Canada’s competitiveness in this changing global context.”

But the biggest science-related announcement in the budget was $1.7 billion in new money to attract more than 1,000 high-level international researchers to Canada. That includes $1 billion over 13 years to support new professorships through the Accelerated Research Chairs programme, $133 million over three years for the relocation of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, and $120 million over 12 years for the recruitment of assistant professors. There will also be $400 million, spread over seven years, to improve research infrastructure to support people who are brought in through the chairs programme.

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Artificial intelligence and international scientists are some of the big winners in the country’s spending plan this year.

11/17/2025

An international group of specialist centers in radiation oncology recently reported the results of their prospective phase I/II trial evaluating a single fraction urethra-sparing stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for men with localized prostate cancer (PCa).

The initial data proved promising, but obviously further research is needed before becoming an accepted standard of care.

You can read the article at:

The EAU learning library for urologists

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...