Prostate Cancer Has More Options Than Ever. Patients Aren’t Always Getting Them. Roughly 333,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and the disease remains the second-leading cause of cancer death among American men. While our understanding of the disease has changed considerably, and doctors have more ways to approach it than ever before, advancements are not reaching everyone who needs them. Only 30% of U.S. patients with metastatic prostate cancer receive the recommended first-line treatment. And that is simply unacceptable.This Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we should address the gap between what modern medicine can offer and what patients actually receive. Patients can't benefit from treatments they're never offered, referred for, or able to access — and that gap is rarely just about clinical decision-making. It's shaped by where a patient lives, whether they have transportation to a specialist, insurance that covers the test, or a doctor who looks like them and takes their symptoms seriously. Policymakers, regulators, and healthcare professionals play an important role in closing that gap by ensuring patients have access to appropriate testing and information so promising treatments can reach the people who need them, regardless of zip code, income, or race.Over the last few years, treatment options for prostate cancer have advanced significantly. Just this year, several cancer therapies, such as radioligand therapies, targeted therapies, and new hormone-based combinations, have been approved and expanded the treatment landscape. At the same time, roughly 1,000 ongoing clinical trials in the U.S. are actively testing new prostate cancer treatments. We are in a prostate cancer therapy renaissance. But policymakers must continue to support infrastructure and innovation so patients can benefit from the latest developments in care. For example, precision oncology and molecular imaging are changing how doctors approach the disease. These tools can help locate cancer and identify molecular targets that may inform a more individualized treatment approach, taking into account the cancer’s biology, the patient’s overall health, and their preferences.Radioligand Therapy (RLT) is just one example of how that shift is taking place, and prostate cancer is on the leading edge of therapeutic transformation that might one day impact multiple types of cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, RLT uses a targeted molecule to deliver radiation directly to cancer cells, while largely limiting exposure to healthy tissue. However, the existence of new treatment options doesn’t mean they are widely accessible. I saw this kind of transformation firsthand in breast cancer. I am a 20-year breast cancer survivor, and when I joined ZERO Prostate Cancer three years ago, I attended a meeting and thought: “This feels like breast cancer 20 years ago.” The science was moving rapidly, new options were emerging, and the possibilities for patients were expanding. Prostate cancer is experiencing that same kind of acceleration today.That progress is exciting, but it also creates a new challenge: making sure our infrastructure can keep up with the pace of innovation. New diagnostics and treatments only make a difference when patients know they exist, can access them, and have the opportunity to consider what makes the most sense for their cancer and their lives.That same level of responsibility applies to policymakers and regulators. Researchers are developing exciting new approaches to treat prostate cancer, and patients need a system capable of moving that progress forward. Investing in cancer research is critical, but so is ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support promising options.Greater awareness about early prostate cancer detection is also necessary. While there has been incredible progress on Capitol Hill, including ZERO’s efforts to remove financial barriers to early prostate cancer detection, policymakers need to build on that momentum. Prostate cancer is more common than most realize, and the risks only increase with age. If caught early, the five-year survival rate is almost 100%. Early detection is one part of the equation. Making sure men with more advanced disease understand what comes next is another.Fixing the treatment and access gap requires greater awareness and expanded options. The prostate cancer community is entering an incredibly exciting era. But innovation must be paired with the infrastructure, support, education, and resources needed to help patients and care teams navigate new options together.Policymakers play an important role in ensuring the more than 330,000 Americans living with prostate cancer get the help they need. As more targeted therapies become available, the health care system needs the capacity and resilience to deliver them reliably, giving physicians and patients meaningful choices in care. Patients with life-threatening diseases shouldn’t have to wait for treatment options that can improve their health and increase their chance of survival. Blog Posts Contributor Courtney Bugler, President & CEO Bridge Builder. Rainmaker. Change Agent. World traveling, baseball mom-ing, cancer survivor and caregiver passionate about driving systemic progress in public health to save lives. Learn more about Courtney
Roughly 333,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and the disease remains the second-leading cause of cancer death among American men. While our understanding of the disease has changed considerably, and doctors have more ways to approach it than ever before, advancements are not reaching everyone who needs them. Only 30% of U.S. patients with metastatic prostate cancer receive the recommended first-line treatment. And that is simply unacceptable.This Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we should address the gap between what modern medicine can offer and what patients actually receive. Patients can't benefit from treatments they're never offered, referred for, or able to access — and that gap is rarely just about clinical decision-making. It's shaped by where a patient lives, whether they have transportation to a specialist, insurance that covers the test, or a doctor who looks like them and takes their symptoms seriously. Policymakers, regulators, and healthcare professionals play an important role in closing that gap by ensuring patients have access to appropriate testing and information so promising treatments can reach the people who need them, regardless of zip code, income, or race.Over the last few years, treatment options for prostate cancer have advanced significantly. Just this year, several cancer therapies, such as radioligand therapies, targeted therapies, and new hormone-based combinations, have been approved and expanded the treatment landscape. At the same time, roughly 1,000 ongoing clinical trials in the U.S. are actively testing new prostate cancer treatments. We are in a prostate cancer therapy renaissance. But policymakers must continue to support infrastructure and innovation so patients can benefit from the latest developments in care. For example, precision oncology and molecular imaging are changing how doctors approach the disease. These tools can help locate cancer and identify molecular targets that may inform a more individualized treatment approach, taking into account the cancer’s biology, the patient’s overall health, and their preferences.Radioligand Therapy (RLT) is just one example of how that shift is taking place, and prostate cancer is on the leading edge of therapeutic transformation that might one day impact multiple types of cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, RLT uses a targeted molecule to deliver radiation directly to cancer cells, while largely limiting exposure to healthy tissue. However, the existence of new treatment options doesn’t mean they are widely accessible. I saw this kind of transformation firsthand in breast cancer. I am a 20-year breast cancer survivor, and when I joined ZERO Prostate Cancer three years ago, I attended a meeting and thought: “This feels like breast cancer 20 years ago.” The science was moving rapidly, new options were emerging, and the possibilities for patients were expanding. Prostate cancer is experiencing that same kind of acceleration today.That progress is exciting, but it also creates a new challenge: making sure our infrastructure can keep up with the pace of innovation. New diagnostics and treatments only make a difference when patients know they exist, can access them, and have the opportunity to consider what makes the most sense for their cancer and their lives.That same level of responsibility applies to policymakers and regulators. Researchers are developing exciting new approaches to treat prostate cancer, and patients need a system capable of moving that progress forward. Investing in cancer research is critical, but so is ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support promising options.Greater awareness about early prostate cancer detection is also necessary. While there has been incredible progress on Capitol Hill, including ZERO’s efforts to remove financial barriers to early prostate cancer detection, policymakers need to build on that momentum. Prostate cancer is more common than most realize, and the risks only increase with age. If caught early, the five-year survival rate is almost 100%. Early detection is one part of the equation. Making sure men with more advanced disease understand what comes next is another.Fixing the treatment and access gap requires greater awareness and expanded options. The prostate cancer community is entering an incredibly exciting era. But innovation must be paired with the infrastructure, support, education, and resources needed to help patients and care teams navigate new options together.Policymakers play an important role in ensuring the more than 330,000 Americans living with prostate cancer get the help they need. As more targeted therapies become available, the health care system needs the capacity and resilience to deliver them reliably, giving physicians and patients meaningful choices in care. Patients with life-threatening diseases shouldn’t have to wait for treatment options that can improve their health and increase their chance of survival.
