Study of 3,477 Men Finds Focal Therapy Matches Surgery on 10-Year Prostate Cancer Survival

A study of 3,477 men who received focal therapy for prostate cancer found that only two had died from the disease ten years later, The Independent reported. Three in 100 men saw their cancer spread outside the prostate over the same period. Both outcomes match rates reported for radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy.

Focal therapy destroys only the cancerous tissue inside the prostate rather than removing or irradiating the entire gland. The approach produced a five-fold lower risk of incontinence, erectile dysfunction and rectal problems compared with standard options. Researchers from Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare Trust published the results in the journal European Urology.

Dr Alexander Light, the study author and urology registrar at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said the findings were encouraging even for men with more aggressive disease who had previously been told the treatment was unsuitable. Professor Hashim Ahmed, joint senior author and chair of urology at the same institutions, noted that only about 1,000 men receive focal therapy each year in the UK although up to 15,000 could be eligible.

The NHS states that more than 60,000 prostate-cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men.

Between 50 and 66 per cent of localised cases are considered suitable for focal therapy. Last month the UK Government announced additional funding to expand access to the treatment. Jeremy Clarkson and Lord David Cameron both received focal therapy after their diagnoses.

The study authors said the data support wider availability at more centres so that eligible patients are informed of the option.