An alternative prostate cancer treatment called focal therapy could lead to better long-term outcomes for patients, according to a study published in European Urology. Researchers at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare Trust found that this less invasive approach is just as successful as radiotherapy and surgical removal, while causing fewer complications.
What Is Focal Therapy?
Focal therapy targets and eliminates only the malignant portion of the prostate, sparing healthy tissue. The study involved nearly 3,500 participants and tracked them for ten years. Study author Dr Alexander Light from Imperial College London said: "The results of our study are really encouraging. Ten years on, only two men in the study had died from their prostate cancer, and many men have benefited from the treatment, including men with more aggressive disease who would traditionally have been told focal therapy wasn't an option for them."
Key Findings
Only two out of 3,477 men died from prostate cancer within ten years, and just three in every 100 saw their cancer spread. These survival and containment rates are comparable to traditional surgery or radiotherapy. However, focal therapy carries a five-fold lower risk of side effects such as bladder control problems and erectile dysfunction, which are common with standard treatments.
Eligibility and Availability
Around half to two-thirds of men with localised prostate cancer could be suitable candidates for focal therapy. Each year, more than 60,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer, making it the most common cancer among men. Despite its benefits, only about 1,000 men per year currently receive focal therapy, when up to 15,000 could benefit. Joint senior author Professor Hashim Ahmed from Imperial College London said: "This is the largest and longest-running study demonstrating 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, and I am pleased to see the government make a firm commitment of capital funding to support it. Right now, only about 1,000 men per year have the treatment, when up to 15,000 men could – and are either not told about it, or do not have local access."
Government Support and Patient Perspectives
Last month, the Government committed extra funding to make focal therapy more widely available. The treatment was previously used to treat former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron. Paul Sayer, founder of the charity Prost8 UK, said: "I have benefited from focal therapy myself, and this new study is incredibly significant. For too long, many men have believed they had to choose between curing their cancer and preserving the quality of their lives. This study shows that, for many patients, that simply isn't true."
