Prostate Cancer Screening Research Can Benet from Network Medicine: An Emerging Awareness

Up to date, screening for prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the most appealing but also a very controversial topics in theurological community. PCa is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and it is universally acknowledged as a complexdisease, with a multi-factorial etiology. The pathway of PCa diagnosis has changed dramatically in the last few years, with themultiparametric magnetic resonance (mpMRI) playing a starring role with the introduction of the "MRI Pathway". In this scenario thebasic tenet of network medicine (NM) that sees the disease as perturbation of a network of interconnected molecules andpathways, seems to fit perfectly with the challenges that PCa early detection must face to advance towards a more reliabletechnique. Integration of tests on body fluids, tissue samples, grading/staging classification, physiological parameters, MRmultiparametric imaging and molecular profiling technologies must be integrated in a broader vision of "disease" and itscomplexity with a focus on early signs. PCa screening research can greatly benefit from NM vision since it provides a soundinterpretation of data and a common language, facilitating exchange of ideas between clinicians and data analysts for exploringnew research pathways in a rational, highly reliable, and reproducible way.