Prostate Cancer treatment: New study on Focal Therapy cuts risks of side affects

A major new 10-year study, led by Imperial College London, has followed nearly 3,500 men treated with focal therapy for prostate cancer — and the results are striking. Ten years on, cancer-specific survival was on par with surgery or full-prostate radiotherapy, but with far fewer side effects like incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Focal therapy uses targeted techniques such as HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) to treat only the cancerous part of the prostate — sparing healthy tissue and the nerves that control urinary and sexual function. Currently, NHS access to focal therapy is limited to a small number of centres in England.

Having been delivering HIFU treatment to patients for a number of years now, Richard Hindley added:

"This is an exciting moment for those of us who have been involved in developing focal therapy over the past 15-plus years. This landmark publication is a necessary and welcome recognition that focal therapy has a legitimate place alongside radical treatment options for men with localised prostate cancer.

We're fortunate in Hampshire to have been offering this treatment to patients at Urology Partners for some time, and we hope this study creates the momentum needed to bring focal therapy to a greater proportion of patients on the NHS.

Focal therapy won't be suitable for every patient, but it should be discussed with all men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer as a genuine option — and it's time it became part of the standard of care."