TUESDAY, March 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Microplastics have been found in most prostate tumors, according to a small study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held from Feb. 26 to 28 in San Francisco.
Stacy Loeb, M.D., from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues analyzed samples collected from 10 patients with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy. Sample collection and analysis used plastic-minimization protocols to reduce the risk for plastic contamination.
The researchers found that plastic particles were identified in 90 percent of tumor samples and 70 percent of benign tissue samples. The tumor tissue contained on average 2.5 times the amount of plastic as the healthy prostate tissue samples (about 40 µg of plastic per gram of tissue versus 16 µg/g).
"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," senior author Vittorio Albergamo, Ph.D., also from NYU Grossman, said in a statement.
Three authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.