A new non-invasive treatment for prostate cancer is the “biggest change in 20 years” and may prevent surgery-related side effects, according to a new study.
Researchers at Imperial College London studied the results of more than 500 patients who received the treatment, called focal therapy, to track its effectiveness.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the UK, with around 48,500 new cases each year and traditional treatments entail life-changing side effects, including sexual dysfunction and incontinence.
Focal therapy uses ultrasound or cryotherapy to specifically target cancer cells in the prostate gland without damaging the surrounding tissue.
The team says hospitals will also benefit, as treatment can be administered in an autonomous area and most patients can recover at home.
However, the treatment is priced high, with specialist machines costing around £ 500,000.
Researchers at Imperial College London studied the results of more than 500 patients who received the treatment, called focal therapy, to track its effectiveness. Image: Stock
Although focal therapy is available privately and in the NHS for several years, only 0.5% of prostate cancer patients use it.
This is because few public hospitals are equipped to administer the new treatment and doctors have remained skeptical due to the lack of long-term data.
Researchers at Imperial College gathered enough evidence to support what has been described as the “biggest change” in prostate cancer treatment in 20 years.
Lead author Dr. Matt Winkler said, “As a prostate cancer surgeon, I know all too well the devastating impact of erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence on the lives of many men after surgery. of prostate cancer.
“We are proud to provide colleagues and affected men with information that can facilitate radical removal of the prostate or radiation therapy.”
There are two types of focal therapy depending on the size and location of the tumor in the prostate: a small gland located below the bladder.
One uses high-intensity ultrasound (HFIU) to heat cancerous tissues with millimeter accuracy, while the other uses cryotherapy to cool it.
420 patients who were treated with HIFU and 81 with cryotherapy and in both cases the risk of sexual dysfunction and incontinence was much lower than that of traditional treatments.
Professor Hashim Ahmed, one of Imperial’s leading prostate cancer experts, said focal therapy involves up to ten times the reduction in urine leakage and sexual problems.
“It is important to note that for the first time we have shown that you have similar cancer control in radical prostatectomy, between five and eight years after treatment,” he added.
Focal therapy is specifically targeted at cancer cells in the prostate gland without damaging the surrounding tissue, allowing the treated to live a normal life. Stock image
“While focal therapy is not appropriate for all patients, every year there are thousands that are appropriate and should be fully informed about it.”
Equipping the NHS to provide focal therapy to all men who choose this option is the next hurdle, the researchers say.
With the aim of overcoming this challenge, the charity Prost8 UK has launched a campaign to fund six new focal therapy suites in hospitals across the country.
Each suite costs £ 500,000, far less than the millions needed for surgical and radiotherapy equipment.
Prost8 UK founder Paul Sayer chose focal therapy when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 at the age of 62 and said “I am almost unchanged from my pre-cancer self”.
“As a result, I am now obliged to make sure that as many men as possible are aware of focal therapy and, more importantly, able to access it when necessary.”
The results could improve the quality of life of the 12,000 men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer early each year and 10,000 who return to treatment after radiation therapy.
Promoting focal therapy when possible would also free up hospital beds, which have been scarce during the pandemic, researchers say.
Dr Winkler said: “After diligently collecting data over the past ten years, we can now provide, for the first time, comparative evidence of equivalent cancer control rates for up to five to eight years.
“While our method does not provide the maximum level of evidence, a randomized controlled trial is as good as it is at the moment.”
The findings were published in the journal Nature.