Targeted prostate cancer treatment cuts risk of side effects, study suggests

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Only about 1,000 men a year in the UK receive focal therapy treatment currently By Fergus Walsh Medical editor Published 2 minutes ago A less invasive therapy for prostate cancer is just as effective as surgery or radiotherapy but with a lower risk of side effects, a major study suggests. The treatment, named focal therapy, uses high-intensity ultrasound or freezing cryotherapy to destroy cancerous tissue. A 10-year NHS study led by Imperial College London followed nearly 3,500 men who received the therapy, providing long-term data that medical regulators had previously said was missing. Researchers say the results are "excellent" and they are likely to add to pressure for focal therapy to be made more widely available. Research could 'change conversations' Nearly all the men had intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer - but 10 years after treatment only two had died from the disease. These outcomes are as good as surgery or radiotherapy, but with less than half the risk of side effects such as urine leakage or loss of sexual function. Joint senior author Professor Hashim Ahmed, consultant urologist at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said the findings demonstrated that "focal therapy delivers excellent long-term cancer control across a broad range of patients". "It makes a compelling case for more centres to offer this treatment," he added. Focal therapy was introduced more than 20 years ago but at present only about 1,000 men a year in the UK receive it - despite there being up to 15,000 who could benefit. The therapy is not suitable for men whose cancer is in multiple parts of their prostate or has spread beyond the gland. Image caption, Rob Huxford had focal therapy in 2020 and has had no long-term side effects Rob Huxford was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020 when he was 44. He says he feels "incredibly fortunate" his doctor offered him focal therapy. "My outcomes have been fantastic," he says. "I have no long-term issues at all and it feels pretty unfair that this isn't offered to men across the whole country. It was the fact that I live in London that I was offered that treatment." Paul Sayer, 70, founder of charity Prost8 UK, has also benefited from focal therapy and says this new study is incredibly significant. "Our hope is that this evidence marks the point where every suitable man is routinely offered focal therapy as part of his treatment choices, regardless of where he lives," he tells the BBC. "This research shouldn't just change clinical practice - it should change conversations in every consulting room across the UK." So why has it been so little used? A key reason the therapy has not been rolled out more widely to date is concern about long-term survival and whether treating only part of the prostate might lead to higher recurrence. This study suggests these fears are largely unfounded, but the health regulator NICE has not approved focal therapy