Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, aside from skin cancer, and is known for being highly diverse in the way that it presents. It often develops as multiple heterogeneous tumors within the prostate, each with its own unique characteristics, making diagnosis and treatment challenging.¹ The prognosis of prostate cancer varies greatly. Some cases are slow-growing and manageable through active surveillance while others are aggressive, metastatic and require intensive treatment.
Clinically, prostate cancer progression depends heavily on the tumor's genomic profile with certain biomarker mutations linked to higher risks of recurrence and metastasis.² Primary treatment options typically include surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy with emerging precision medicine approaches guided by specific genetic alterations.² Recent research has emphasized the importance of understanding this molecular diversity as recognizing distinct genetic changes within tumors can significantly influence therapeutic decisions and patient outcomes.¹
With the nation’s largest privacy-compliant collection of lab and biomarker data, HealthVerity enables researchers to go beyond diagnosis codes and understand the molecular signatures driving prostate cancer. From PSA levels to genomic testing, real-world biomarker insights help identify patient subgroups, track treatment response, and inform precision oncology strategies across diverse populations.
June marks Men's Health Month, highlighting the critical need for awareness, early detection and proactive management of men's health conditions, particularly prostate cancer.
Recently, prostate cancer gained renewed attention when former U.S. President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease. Biden’s cancer was characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5), indicating highly abnormal cells that grow and spread rapidly, reflecting an advanced cancer. The diagnosis revealed that the cancer had already spread to his bones, emphasizing the vital importance of early screenings and timely interventions.3
Further, recent events such as Triumph’s Distinguished Gentleman's Ride (DGR) significantly enhance public awareness about prostate cancer and men's mental health. Since its inception in 2012, the DGR has united motorcycle enthusiasts globally in a unique event where riders dress in dapper attire and ride classic and vintage-style motorcycles, raising funds and awareness for these critical two health issues.4 Initiatives like this encourage community participation, promote early diagnosis, and help destigmatize conversations around men's health.
A prostate cancer diagnosis can have a profound impact on mental health. According to a 2021 meta-analysis published in Nature, approximately 17% of prostate cancer patients experience significant depressive symptoms. Around 17% also report significant anxiety. Nearly 10% of patients reported recent suicidal ideation. The suicide mortality rate following diagnosis was found to be 47.1 per 100,000 person years, which is substantially higher than the general population.5
Figure 1: The prevalence of various mental health conditions in patients with prostate cancer. Created using data from Brunckhorst et al., Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (Nature, 2021)
These findings highlight the urgent need to integrate mental health screening and support into prostate cancer care. Addressing psychological well-being is not just about improving quality of life. It is also essential to achieving better treatment outcomes and long-term recovery.
If you or someone you know is facing prostate cancer and struggling with mental health, help is available. The Prostate Cancer Foundation offers resources for emotional support, counseling, and guidance through every stage of the journey. Learn more here.
Using data from HealthVerity Marketplace,we were able to quickly pull insights for over 1.37 million patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2020-2024. We found that of those 1.37 million patients, over 116,000 also had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety within 12 months of their initial prostate cancer diagnosis (Figure 2). That means roughly 1 in 12 prostate cancer patients, or about 8.5%, are also facing a new mental health challenge in the year following initial diagnosis (Figure 3).
Figure 2: Prostate cancer patients by age group, segmented by presence or absence of depression or anxiety diagnosis within 12 months. Total number of prostate cancer patients by age group, with a breakdown of those who were also diagnosed with depression or anxiety (mental health diagnoses) within 12 months. Dx = Diagnosis
Figure 3. Proportion of prostate cancer patients diagnosed with depression or anxiety within 12 months. The percentage of patients with prostate cancer who were newly diagnosed with depression or anxiety within 12 months of their diagnosis. Among 1.37 million PC patients, about 116,000 (8.5%) received a mental health diagnosis during that window. Dx = Diagnosis.
When we looked at this trend by race, Asian patients consistently had the lowest proportion of mental health diagnoses: 5.75%, compared to 7.17%–9.09% in other groups (Figure 4). This difference may reflect a lower true incidence but it may also point to underdiagnosis, cultural stigma, or structural barriers to seeking mental health care.
Figure 4. Heat map of depression and anxiety diagnoses within 12 months of prostate cancer diagnosis, stratified by race and age group. This chart shows the raw number of prostate cancer patients who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety (mental health diagnoses) within 12 months of their initial cancer diagnosis. Each cell represents a combination of race and age group. Darker shades indicate higher counts. MH = Mental Health. Dx = Diagnosis.
For pharmaceutical companies, researchers, payers, and providers using HealthVerity Marketplace, this kind of insight can help:
Clinical trials are the engine of progress in prostate cancer treatment. Ongoing studies are exploring next-generation therapies, including androgen receptor pathway inhibitors, radioligand therapies, and immunotherapies targeting prostate-specific antigens.
Several promising drugs are currently in Phase I–III trials. For example, the PSMAddition trial (NCT04720157) is evaluating Pluvicto™ (lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan), a radioligand therapy for patients with PSMA-positive metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.6 It's already FDA-approved for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and is now being evaluated for earlier-stage use.
Another trial (NCT05519449) is investigating JANX007 for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.7 It targets PSMA on tumor cells and CD3 on T-cells, activating only within the tumor microenvironment to minimize systemic toxicity. JANX007 is also a prime example of the kind of investigational therapy that HealthVerity data can support, from assessing trial feasibility and identifying eligible populations to monitoring long-term real-world outcomes after approval.
For organizations looking to support clinical research, HealthVerity offers powerful solutions. HealthVerity Marketplace provides access to the nation’s largest linked real-world data ecosystem, including longitudinal patient data that supports feasibility assessments and patient population insights. Additionally, HealthVerity Clinical Trial Linkage enables life sciences companies to monitor real-world outcomes in patients enrolled in clinical trials, offering a privacy-compliant bridge between trial data and real-world evidence.
Learn more: HealthVerity Marketplace | Clinical Trial Linkage