(Press-News.org) Small fragments of plastic were found in nine out of 10 patients with prostate cancer, and in higher levels inside tumors than in nearby noncancerous tissue, a new study finds.
The small, single-center study was led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and its Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards. It explored the potential role of plastic exposure in development of prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer among American men according to the American Cancer Society.
Experts have found that when plastic from food packaging, cosmetics, and other sources is used, heated, or chemically treated, it can break down into smaller pieces and become ingested. People are also exposed to plastics by inhaling them from the air and by absorbing them through the skin. Past studies have identified these microplastics in nearly every human organ, as well as in bodily fluids and the placenta. However, how they may affect human health has remained poorly understood.
Analyzing tissue samples collected from 10 patients with prostate cancer, the research team identified plastic particles in 90% of tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples.
In addition, the cancerous tissue contained on average 2.5 times the amount of plastic as the healthy prostate tissue samples (about 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue compared with 16 micrograms per gram).
“Our pilot study provides important evidence that microplastic exposure may be a risk factor for prostate cancer,” said study lead author Stacy Loeb, MD, a professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Departments of Urology and Population Health.
According to Loeb, while early data had suggested a link between microplastics and other health conditions such as heart disease and dementia, there had been little direct evidence connecting the substances to prostate cancer.
Presenting during the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium on Feb. 26, the new study is the first Western assessment of its kind to examine microplastic levels in prostate tumors and to compare them with plastic buildup in noncancerous prostate tissue, says Loeb.
For the investigation, the researchers evaluated patients with prostate cancer who were undergoing a surgical procedure to remove the entire organ. The team analyzed tumor and benign samples visually and then used specialized equipment to determine the amount of microplastic particles, as well as their chemical composition and structure, in the tissue. The scientists focused on 12 of the most common types of plastic molecules.
To avoid contaminating the samples with the many kinds of plastic in common medical and laboratory equipment, the team substituted its tools with those made of aluminum, cotton, and other nonplastic material. They also handled the samples in highly controlled spaces known as clean rooms that are designed to process samples for microplastic analysis.
“By uncovering yet another potential health concern posed by plastic, our findings highlight the need for stricter regulatory measures to limit the public’s exposure to these substances, which are everywhere in the environment,” said study senior author Vittorio Albergamo, PhD.
Albergamo, an assistant professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, adds that the research team next plans to examine what the microplastics do in the body and how they might lead to cancer development. A possibility they plan to explore, he notes, is that the particles may prompt an overactive immune response (inflammation) in the tissue, which over time can damage cells and trigger genetic changes that cause cancer cells to form.
Albergamo cautions that a larger sample of patients will be needed to confirm the study findings.
About one in eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Funding for the study was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Along with Loeb and Albergamo, NYU Langone researchers involved in the study are Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP; Trevor Johnson, PhD; Fang-Ming Deng, MD, PhD; Mark Strong, DO; David Wise, MD, PhD; José Alemán, MD, PhD; Zixuan Mo, BS; Mariana Rangel Camacho, BS; Nataliya Byrne, BA; Tatiana Sanchez Nolasco, MPH; Adrian Rivera, MPH; William Huang, MD; Herbert Lepor, MD; Wei Phin Tan, MD; and James Wysock, MD.
Another study co-investigator is Samir Taneja, MD, at Northwell Health in New York City.
Loeb has consulted for pharmaceutical company Astellas, digital health company Savor Health, and men’s health organization Movember, and has received research support from Endo USA Inc. She also participated in advisory boards for Endo USA, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Pfizer, Sumitomo Pharma, and Doceree. Wysock has consulted for medical equipment manufacturers Edap — Focal One, and URO-1 Medical. Wise is a paid consultant for Pfizer, Bayer, K36, OncoC4, AstraZeneca, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and is an expert witness for Exxon Mobil. None of these activities are related to the current study. NYU Langone Health is managing the terms and conditions of these relationships in accordance with its policies and procedures.
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About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for four years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked four of its clinical specialties number one in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. The system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.
Media Inquiries
Shira Polan
212-404-4279
Shira.Polan@NYULangone.org
END
Microplastics discovered in prostate tumors
2026-02-23
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