The Prostate Net

09/03/2026

Knowledge can make a difference.
Be Informed. Be Proactive. Be Empowered.

09/03/2026

Health Disparities Don't Begin in the Doctor's Office!

This is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and, among many other things, we talk frequently about health disparities.

We talk about poverty, education, housing, environmental exposures, access to healthcare and systemic bias. All are important. But are we looking far enough back to understand why some disparities persist?

A recent study reported by Science offers a remarkable perspective. Researchers examined U.S. counties according to the proportion of their population that was enslaved in 1860 and compared that history with Black-white mortality differences more than 150 years later.

The finding was striking: in counties where 92% of the population had been enslaved, the Black-white mortality gap in the 2010s exceeded 200 additional deaths per 100,000 people—approximately 20 times the gap in counties where no slavery had been recorded.

The researchers did not suggest that slavery directly determines an individual's health today. Instead, they found evidence that its legacy appears to operate through conditions that persist today—including residential segregation, economic inequality and differences in educational attainment.

That gives us another way to think about health inequity: A disparity may be visible today, while the forces contributing to it may have been accumulating for generations.

For patients, that matters.
When we ask:

Why was this cancer diagnosed so late?
Why didn't this patient receive genetic testing?
Why was a clinical trial unavailable—or seemingly unavailable?
Why doesn't this patient trust the healthcare system?
Why does accessing a major cancer center seem so much easier for some patients than others?

—we need to look beyond the immediate encounter with the healthcare system.

And this becomes particularly important as cancer care moves toward precision medicine, personalized treatment based on a patient's tumor biology, biomarkers and genetics.

But precision medicine cannot be truly precise if the evidence behind it does not adequately represent the people who need it.

That brings us to an important question for patient advocates: Who is missing?

Who is missing from genetic testing?
Who is missing from clinical trials?
Who is missing from the datasets used to develop new treatments?

And perhaps most importantly: Why are they missing?

Those questions cannot be answered by researchers alone. They require patients and advocates to bring the realities of their communities into the conversation.

We cannot change history. But we can decide whether the consequences of history continue to influence who participates in research, who benefits from medical advances and who receives the best possible care.

Health equity begins by understanding the barriers—and then refusing to accept them as inevitable.

​Read the article at: https://www.science.org/content/article/slavery-linked-mortality-gap-between-black-and-white-americans-today #

New study is among the first to quantify and explain slavery’s influence in contemporary U.S. health disparities

08/24/2026

Artificial intelligence is no longer something that belongs to the future of healthcare.

The U.S. FDA has now authorized more than 1,500 AI-enabled medical devices - see:
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/software-medical-device-samd/artificial-intelligence-enabled-medical-devices

Many are used in radiology and imaging, but AI is also beginning to do something even more consequential: help estimate what may happen to a patient's cancer in the future.

For men with prostate cancer, that is already becoming a reality.
One FDA-authorized technology, ArteraAI Prostate, analyzes digitized prostate biopsy tissue and provides estimates of a man's risk of developing distant metastases and dying from prostate cancer over the following 10 years.

That raises an important question:

If AI can predict cancer risk, should patients trust the prediction?

The answer requires more than knowing that an AI system has received FDA authorization.

Patients—and their physicians—need to ask:
What exactly is the AI predicting, and how reliable is it?

An AI-generated risk estimate is not a crystal ball. It represents a probability based on the data used to develop and validate the system.

Was the AI tested in people like me?

This is particularly important when we consider health disparities. Men of African descent have historically been underrepresented in many prostate cancer clinical trials and research studies, despite carrying a substantially higher burden of prostate cancer.

If populations are inadequately represented when an AI system is developed and validated,can we assume its predictions will be equally reliable for everyone?

We shouldn't.

And there is another equity question:
Who has access to the technology and care needed to act on its results?

A sophisticated AI prediction has limited value if a patient cannot access the pathology expertise, diagnostic testing, specialists or treatments needed to turn that information into better care.

The Prostate Net's position:
We don't believe patients should be either AI evangelists or AI skeptics.

We should be asking better questions:
What does the AI actually do?
What evidence supports it?
Was my population adequately represented?
How accurate is it for people like me?
Will it change my treatment or outcomes?
And can I actually access it?

AI has enormous potential to advance precision medicine.

But the goal should never be AI for AI's sake.

The goal is better information, better decisions—and ultimately better outcomes for every patient, regardless of race, geography or ability to pay.

Read the article at:
https://oncodaily.com/not-to-miss/fda-ai-enabled-medical-devices-568291

We Inform to fight!
Because informed patients change outcomes.

FDA Lists More Than 1,500 AI-Enabled Medical Devices as Oncology Applications Expand / AI-Enabled Medical Devices, cancer, cancer care, FDA, OncoDaily,

08/19/2026

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) account for nearly 60% of adults' and 70% of children's energy intake in the United States.

These industrially manufactured products – such as soft drinks, packaged cereals and snacks, and processed meats – are made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts and other additives that can enhance flavor, texture, and shelf life while reducing nutritional value.

Growing evidence links higher consumption of UPFs to a range of health problems. Research has identified several potential biological pathways through which UPFs may contribute to cancer. These include metabolic disruption, inflammation, oxidative stress, and changes to the gut microbiome.

Now, new research from Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine provides evidence that men with higher consumption of UPFs have increased risks of prostate cancer. In the U.S., prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer death among men after lung cancer.

"Reducing consumption of UPFs is a complex public health challenge, particularly given how prevalent and accessible these products are."

Read the article at:

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) account for nearly 60% of adults' and 70% of children's energy intake in the United States.

08/14/2026

The Fogarty Global Health Training Program provides one-year mentored research fellowship opportunities in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) for pre- and post-doctoral candidates from the U.S. and LMICs.

This program is sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and several collaborating Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The program supports research in areas of interest, including: HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, mental health, maternal and child health and nutrition, and more.

The application deadline for the 2027-2028 year is
September 25, 2026.

This fellowship is aimed at early career development, so candidates who have completed their terminal degree within the past six years will be prioritized. However, recognizing that everyone’s career path is different, you are welcome to apply if you graduated with your terminal degree more than six years ago.

Read the information on application submission requirements at:

Find detailed information on eligibility, application requirements, and step-by-step instructions for applying to the HBNU Fogarty Global Health Training

08/13/2026

The National Cancer Institute’s Investigator-Initiated Early Phase Clinical Trials for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis program provides R01 funding for clinical research evaluating new or improved approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has established two program announcements for R01 applications to support investigator-initiated clinical trials that are now reissued as:

1. PAR-25-081 (this Notice of Funding Opportunity), which seeks applications for support of early phase (Phase 0, I, and II) medical imaging and oncologic interventional clinical trials relevant to the mission of the NCI's Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD); and Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancies (OHAM); and

2. PAR-25-167 (companion Notice of Funding Opportunity), which seeks applications for support of cancer prevention and control clinical trials relevant to the missions of NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) and NCI's Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), respectively.

Applicants should be aware of the types of scientific programs that each named NCI Division manages to determine the appropriate NOFO defined above for submission of applications.

Eligibility Criteria:

Public and private institutions of higher education are eligible.
Eligible state, local, tribal, and federal government organizations may apply.
Foreign/non-U.S. organizations are eligible.
Organizations may submit more than one application provided the proposals are scientifically distinct.
New, renewal, resubmission, and revision applications are permitted.
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required.

Funding Details:

Maximum budget: $499,999 in direct costs per year.
Maximum project period: 5 years.
Therefore, a project funded at the maximum annual amount for five years could receive up to $2,499,995 in direct costs.
The number of awards is not predetermined and depends on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications.
Grant Amount: Up to $2,499,995 in direct costs over 5 years

Read the information on submission requirements at:

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: National Cancer Institute's Investigator-Initiated Early Phase Clinical Trials for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (R01 Clinical Trial Required) PAR-25-081. NCI

08/10/2026

🚨 **ACTION ALERT FOR PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS**

**PLUVICTO JUST MOVED EARLIER IN PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT.**

On July 31, 2026, the FDA approved **Pluvicto** in combination with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) for certain men with metastatic prostate cancer whose disease is still sensitive to hormone-directed treatment.

That's important news.

But what does it actually mean for patients?

# # # FIRST: What is Pluvicto?

Pluvicto is a **radioligand therapy** designed to find prostate cancer cells carrying a protein called **PSMA** and deliver radiation directly to them.

# # # SECOND: Not every patient will be eligible.

The cancer must be **PSMA-positive**.

And that's where an important test comes in:

🔎 **PSMA PET SCAN**

The FDA says patients should be selected for Pluvicto using an approved PSMA PET product based on PSMA expression in their tumors.

A PSMA PET scan is different from a PSA test, CT scan, MRI or conventional bone scan.

It is looking for the **target that Pluvicto needs to find the cancer.**

# # # THIRD: Pluvicto is used WITH hormone-pathway treatment in this new indication.

The FDA approval specifies that Pluvicto is used **in combination with an ARPI**—a treatment that blocks the androgen pathway prostate cancer uses to grow.

# # # WHAT SHOULD YOU ASK YOUR DOCTOR?

If you have metastatic prostate cancer, ask:

❓ Is my cancer still sensitive to hormone treatment?

❓ Could Pluvicto + an ARPI be an option for me?

❓ Have I had a PSMA PET scan?

❓ Is my cancer PSMA-positive?

❓ If I am a candidate, where can I receive Pluvicto?

# # # WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Precision medicine only works when the **right patient is identified**.

That means having access to the **right information, the right test, and the right treatment.**

Don't assume that because a treatment has been FDA approved, it automatically means you are—or are not—a candidate.

**Ask the questions. Get the information. Be part of the treatment decision.**

👉 **Read the FDA announcement and talk with your healthcare team: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-lutetium-lu-177-vipivotide-tetraxetan-androgen-receptor-pathway-inhibitor-therapy **

**We inform to fight!**

On July 31, 2026, the Food and Drug Administration approved lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Pluvicto, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation) in combination with androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) therapy for adults with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic andr

08/05/2026

Patient Alert: AI Is a Tool, Not a Doctor
The Promise—and the Peril—of AI in Healthcare
­
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering doctors’ offices, hospitals, and community health centers across the United States. New AI tools can summarize medical records, suggest treatment options, explain complex information in plain language, and help clinicians work more efficiently.

But there is an important reality that patients need to understand:
Not everyone will benefit from AI equally.

A recent report from the Commonwealth Fund warns that an “AI digital divide” is emerging between well-funded health systems and community health centers that provide essential care for many rural, low-income, and underserved populations.

For patient advocates, that raises a critical question:
How should we help our communities navigate AI as it becomes part of everyday healthcare?

The answer is simple:
Use AI as a tool—not as a substitute for your healthcare team.

AI can be helpful, but it has important limitations. It can:
Miss early signs of disease.
Provide incorrect or incomplete information.
Sound confident even when its conclusions are wrong.
Fail to reflect the latest evidence or the unique circumstances of an individual patient.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to help both patients and clinicians make better-informed decisions. But technology alone does not improve healthcare. Better outcomes come when AI is transparent, evidence-based, and used to support informed conversations between patients and their healthcare teams—not to replace them.

Questions Every Patient Should Feel Comfortable Asking

If AI-generated information becomes part of a medical appointment, encourage patients to ask:
Was this recommendation generated by an AI tool, a clinical guideline, or your own clinical judgment?
What evidence supports this recommendation?
Does this apply to my personal medical history, age, race, family history, and other health conditions?
Are there alternative options we should consider together?
These questions help keep the physician-patient relationship at the center of every treatment decision.

AI can also be a valuable resource before an appointment. It can help patients:
Organize symptoms and create timelines.
Better understand unfamiliar medical terms.
Prepare a list of questions for their healthcare provider.
Learn more about a disease or treatment using reliable public information.
Think of AI as a research assistant, not a diagnostician.

Learn More -
Read the Commonwealth Fund article:
Digital Innovations at Community Health Centers: AI Clinical Decision Support for CHC Providers and Patients — the Promise and Peril - https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2026/digital-innovations-community-health-centers-ai-clinical-decision-support-chc-providers

As patient advocates, our responsibility is to ensure that AI empowers patients while remaining equitable, transparent, accountable, and centered on the individual. AI can help patients ask better questions, but it should never replace thoughtful discussions with qualified healthcare professionals.

Knowledge is no longer optional, it is becoming an essential part of every patient's treatment journey.

This case study explores the use of AI clinical decision support in community health centers, along with challenges and issues that must be addressed.

07/21/2026

Not every prostate cancer should be treated the same.

That was one of the strongest messages from our conversation last week with Prof. Dr. Hein Van Poppel and Dr. Joaquin Mateo.

They explained how modern imaging, biomarkers and genetic testing are allowing physicians to personalize treatment like never before.

Listen to the full interview at: https://www.ivoox.com/en/dr-hendrik-van-poppel-dr-joaquin-mateo-audios-mp3_rf_177381112_1.html

07/15/2026

Action Alert: The Prostate Net on Targeted Therapies

The OASIS Study - Patient Input Needed!

Why Should I Care?
We are reaching out to ask for your support of a patient survey that is part of the European research project OASIS, which focuses on improving cancer treatment through antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), an emerging type of targeted cancer therapy.

The survey aims to better understand the knowledge and perceptions of patients, caregivers and family members regarding ADCs.
It is primarily intended for individuals affected by breast, gastric, non-small cell lung, and urothelial cancer, though patients with other cancer types are encouraged to take part.

It does not collect any personal data, and all responses are handled confidentially and used exclusively within the scope of this research.

Gathering wide patient input helps improve the project's outcomes and ensures they are shaped around more patient-centred priorities.

Access to the English version of the survey can be found at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9C6J6GG

You can also access the survey in Spanish at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9CBNP6L

As a partner with Cancer Patients Europe in the OASIS project, The Prostate Net is working to insure the patient perspective's needs, experiences and priorities are reflected in the research.

We urge you to complete the survey and share it widely among your network.

The promise of precision medicine can only be realized when every patient feels empowered to discuss these options with their healthcare team and physicians and investigators welcome their input in developing a mutually beneficial plan of action.

Knowledge is no longer optional, it is becoming an essential part of every patient's treatment journey.

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.