Stacy Loeb, MD, on microplastics and prostate cancer

At the 2026 ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California, Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, sat down with Urology Times® to discuss her study on microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) and prostate cancer.¹ Loeb is a urologist at NYU Langone Health and a professor of urology and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York, New York.

Loeb explained that her interest in this work was sparked by a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that patients undergoing carotid surgery had microplastics in their carotid plaques, with higher levels associated with greater inflammation and increased clinical events.² Given that plastics are ubiquitous in the environment and have been detected in multiple human organs, the investigators questioned whether microplastics might also be present in prostate tumors. Loeb emphasized that research into the health effects of microplastics remains in its early stages, describing this work as a “tip of the iceberg” and a passion project aimed at expanding understanding in this emerging field.

Designing the study required extensive preparation to minimize contamination, given the pervasive presence of plastics in operating rooms, pathology labs, and research laboratories. Over 6 to 12 months, the team coordinated with multiple stakeholders to substitute plastic materials where possible and created a dedicated, plastic-reduced workflow for tissue handling, including a separate pathology lab area without standard plastic equipment.

For this initial analysis of 10 patient samples presented at ASCO GU, investigators used 2 complementary detection techniques—Raman microscopy and pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (py-GC/MS)—to enhance methodological rigor, as each approach has distinct strengths and limitations in identifying micro- and nanoplastics.

Overall, microplastics were identified in 9 of the 10 prostatectomy specimens analyzed. Notably, the concentration of microplastics was higher in tumor tissue compared with benign tissue. The investigators found a mean concentration of MNPs of 39.8 µg/g (median, 16.3) in tumor tissue vs a mean concentration of 15.5 µg/g (median, 7.0) in adjacent benign tissue.

Although preliminary and based on a small cohort, these findings suggest that microplastics are detectable within prostate tumors, raising important questions about potential biologic effects and clinical implications that warrant further investigation.

REFERENCES

1. Loeb S. Microplastics and prostate cancer. Presented at: 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. February 26-28, 2026. San Francisco, California. Abstract 379. https://www.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/256266

2. Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, Sardu C, et al. Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events. N Engl J Med. 2024;390(10):900-910. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2309822