Prostate cancer is rising globally, but the burden falls heaviest on men in low- and middle-income countries who lack access to early detection and modern treatments. A new partnership between the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and Hästens is working to change that by expanding a major clinical trial to Nigeria, marking a significant step toward equitable cancer care across borders .

Why Is Prostate Cancer Care So Unequal Around the World?

The reality is stark: while prostate cancer incidence is climbing globally, mortality rates are disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries. The reasons are interconnected and deeply rooted in healthcare infrastructure. Limited awareness about the disease, social stigma surrounding prostate health, inadequate screening infrastructure, and delayed referrals to specialists all contribute to worse outcomes for men in developing nations .

In many parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, men may not know they're at risk until the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, making treatment far more difficult and less likely to succeed. This contrasts sharply with wealthy nations where PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening and early detection programs have become routine.

What Is the Hästens-PCF Global Health Award Trying to Accomplish?

The newly launched Hästens-PCF Global Health Award is designed to do more than just fund a single research project. It's structured as a foundational and recurring fund meant to support scalable, locally-led initiatives that advance prostate cancer care in emerging countries. The initial focus is on expanding the STAMPEDE2 trial, a large international study testing new treatment strategies for advanced prostate cancer, to Nigeria .

The program is led by two experienced researchers: Omolara Aminat Fatiregun, MBBS, MSc, MPH, of Lagos State University College of Medicine, and Nick James, MBBS, PhD, of The Institute of Cancer Research in London. Their work will focus on three key objectives:

• Increasing Awareness: Building community knowledge about prostate cancer risk factors, symptoms, and the importance of early detection in Nigeria.
• Improving Early Detection: Establishing screening infrastructure and training local healthcare providers to identify prostate cancer at earlier, more treatable stages.
• Generating High-Quality Data: Collecting rigorous research data that will inform how prostate cancer care can be improved not just in Nigeria, but across the region and globally.

Beyond the initial award period, the project aims to create lasting change by establishing institutionalized training programs, integrating prostate cancer care into health policy, and building regional networks of excellence that can sustain improvements long-term .

What Does the STAMPEDE2 Trial Actually Test?

The STAMPEDE2 trial is a phase 3 study, meaning it's testing treatments in a large group of patients to see which approach works best. The trial focuses on men with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, which means the cancer has spread beyond the prostate but still responds to hormone-blocking therapy .

All participants receive a foundation of standard treatments: androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which blocks male hormones that fuel prostate cancer; androgen receptor signaling inhibition (ARPI), which blocks cancer cells' ability to respond to hormones; radiation to the prostate and pelvic lymph nodes; and docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug. From there, patients are randomly assigned to one of three additional treatment arms:

• Active Comparator Arm: Patients receive the standard foundation treatments without additional experimental therapy, serving as the control group for comparison.
• Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) Arm: Patients receive highly focused, high-dose radiation delivered in fewer sessions to specific areas where cancer has spread.
• 177Lu-PSMA-617 Arm: Patients receive Pluvicto, a targeted nuclear medicine treatment that uses a radioactive compound to seek out and destroy prostate cancer cells that express a specific protein.

The primary goal is to measure overall survival, meaning how long patients live after treatment. Secondary goals include measuring failure-free survival, how long before cancer progresses, and safety .

How to Support Equitable Cancer Care in Your Community

• Advocate for Screening Access: Support policies and programs that make prostate cancer screening available to all men, regardless of income or insurance status, in your local area.
• Raise Awareness: Share information about prostate cancer risk factors and early warning signs with men in your life, particularly those over 50 or with family history of the disease.
• Support Global Health Initiatives: Donate to or volunteer with organizations like the Prostate Cancer Foundation that work to expand cancer research and care in underserved countries.
• Encourage Clinical Trial Participation: If you or someone you know has advanced prostate cancer, ask your doctor about clinical trials like STAMPEDE2 that may offer access to cutting-edge treatments.

"The Hästens-PCF Global Health Award is a testament to our commitment to saving lives by accelerating the global impact of prostate cancer research and care. Together, with the generous support of Hästens and our pioneering donors, we can achieve our ultimate vision of a future where a man's chance of surviving prostate cancer is not determined by where he lives, but by access to timely, high-quality care grounded in global scientific excellence," said Gina Carithers, president and chief executive officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Gina Carithers, President and Chief Executive Officer, Prostate Cancer Foundation

Dr. Fatiregun, who is leading the Nigerian expansion, emphasized the personal significance of this work. "Much of my career has been dedicated to bridging the global disparity in prostate cancer research and treatment. It is with great honor and gratitude to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Hästens that I can continue my life's work and help bring world-class precision medicine to Nigerian patients," she stated .

Why Does This Matter Beyond Nigeria?

Expanding STAMPEDE2 to Nigeria serves multiple purposes. First, it gives Nigerian men access to potentially life-saving treatments they wouldn't otherwise have. Second, it generates research data from a population that has been historically underrepresented in cancer clinical trials. This diversity of data is crucial because treatment responses can vary based on genetic background, environmental factors, and healthcare context. Third, it builds local research capacity and trains Nigerian healthcare providers in state-of-the-art cancer care, creating a foundation for sustained improvement in the country's health system .

The award is structured as a recurring fund, meaning this is not a one-time investment. The PCF and Hästens intend to use this model to support similar initiatives in other emerging countries, gradually closing the global gap in cancer care equity. For men with prostate cancer worldwide, this represents a shift toward a future where geography and income don't determine survival chances.