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

中文翻译：

---

前列腺癌筛查研究可以从网络医学中受益：一种新兴的意识。

迄今为止，前列腺癌 (PCa) 筛查仍然是泌尿学界最吸引人但也极具争议的话题之一。PCa 是全球男性中第二常见的癌症，它被公认为是一种复杂的疾病，具有多因素的病因。在过去几年中，PCa 诊断的途径发生了巨大变化，多参数磁共振 (mpMRI) 随着“MRI 途径”的引入而发挥了重要作用。在这种情况下，网络医学 (NM) 的基本原则将疾病视为相互连接的分子和途径网络的扰动，似乎完全符合 PCa 早期检测必须面临的挑战，以推进更可靠的技术。整合对体液、组织样本、分级/分期分类的测试，生理参数、MR 多参数成像和分子谱分析技术必须与“疾病”及其复杂性的更广泛视野相结合，重点关注早期症状。PCa 筛查研究可以极大地受益于 NM 视觉，因为它提供了对数据的合理解释和通用语言，促进临床医生和数据分析师之间的思想交流，以便以合理、高度可靠和可重复的方式探索新的研究途径。