Study finds focal therapy effective for prostate cancer with fewer side effects
A ten-year study found that focal therapy for prostate cancer is as effective as surgery but with fewer side effects.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A ten year study led by Imperial College London has found that focal therapy, a minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer, is as effective as surgery or radiotherapy but with far fewer side effects. The research followed nearly 3,500 men treated in NHS centres in England, nearly all of whom had intermediate or high risk prostate cancer. After ten years, only two of the men had died from the disease, a survival rate comparable to traditional treatments.
Focal therapy uses focused ultrasound to heat or cryotherapy to freeze cancer cells in the prostate. It is a targeted treatment that destroys only the cancerous tissue, leaving the rest of the prostate intact. The study found that the risk of side effects such as urine leakage or loss of sexual function was less than half that of surgery or radiotherapy. Professor Hashim Ahmed, who pioneered the treatment, said: "We've been waiting two decades for this moment. Thousands of men will be able to have a treatment that is effective in treating their cancer in the long term but with far fewer side effects than traditional surgery and radiotherapy."
Currently, only about 1,000 prostate cancer patients in the UK receive focal therapy each year, even though up to 15,000 could benefit. The treatment is mostly available in London and the southeast of England, with no focal therapy centres elsewhere in the UK. The government has committed up to £2.8 million to expand the number of centres in England, but charities say this still leaves a postcode lottery. Prostate Cancer UK has submitted the evidence to the regulator NICE, and there is growing pressure for the treatment to be made routinely available on the NHS.
High profile patients who have had focal therapy include former Prime Minister David Cameron and TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Cameron said it was not right that more men could not have the treatment. A separate major study is looking at the best way of screening for prostate cancer, such as using rapid MRI scans, and all those diagnosed as part of that trial will be offered focal therapy if appropriate, which could pave the way for a national screening programme.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC NEWS | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| After 10 years, only two of the men in the study had died. | · | |||
| A 10-year study found focal therapy as effective as surgery or radiotherapy for prostate cancer. | · | · | ||
| Only about 1,000 prostate cancer patients receive focal therapy each year in the UK, though up to 15,000 could benefit. | · | · | ||
| The government has committed £2.8 million to expand centres. | · | · | ||
| The study followed nearly 3,500 men with intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer. | · | · | ||
| A major study is investigating the best way to screen for prostate cancer, including the use of rapid MRI scans. | · | · | · | |
| Clinicians said guidelines should be reviewed because routine focal therapy could improve quality of life for thousands of men. | · | · | · | |
| Focal therapy uses focused ultrasound or cryotherapy to target cancer cells. | · | · | · | |
| Side effects are less than half compared to traditional treatments. | · | · | · | |
| The study authors say there is a compelling case for making focal therapy widely available. | · | · | · | |
| There is a postcode lottery for access to focal therapy in the UK. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the clinical evidence and the implications for NHS provision, highlighting the postcode lottery and the need for regulatory approval. The report included a detailed explanation of how focal therapy works and featured commentary from the medical editor, Fergus Walsh, who stressed the significance of the long term survival data.
- “This is focal therapy. It uses focused ultrasound to heat or cryotherapy to freeze cancer cells in the prostate.”
- “After 10 years, two of the men had died.”
- “The government has committed up to £2.8 million to expand the number of centres in England, but charities say that there's still this postcode lottery.”
5 News gave a concise, straightforward summary of the study's findings, emphasising the effectiveness and the call for wider availability. It did not include patient stories or high profile names, and the report was brief, with no separate medical correspondent analysis.
- “Researchers say a less invasive treatment for prostate cancer is just as effective as surgery or radiotherapy, but with fewer side effects.”
- “A 10-year NHS study on nearly 3,500 men found focal therapy, which targets only the cancerous tissue, delivered excellent long-term outcomes.”
- “The report's authors say there is a compelling case for making the treatment widely available.”
BBC ONE West provided a comprehensive report with patient testimonials, emphasising the postcode lottery and the potential for a national screening programme. The report included interviews with patients Paul Sayer and Rob Dixford (or Rob Huxford), and highlighted the government's £2.8 million funding and the lack of centres outside England.
- “Having had the choice of having a focal treatment has meant that I've managed to maintain my lifestyle as it was before I had my diagnosis.”
- “We need to see an end to the postcode lottery. Right now focal therapy is mostly available in London, southeast of England.”
- “A major study is looking at the best way of screening for prostate cancer, such as using rapid MRI scans.”
ITV1 focused on the reduction in side effects, quoting a researcher who said the risk is five to tenfold lower. The report also mentioned high profile patients Jeremy Clarkson and David Cameron, and referenced the recent death of Dermot Murnaghan to underline the importance of prostate cancer awareness. It stressed the need for guidelines to be reviewed.
- “The crucial thing about focal therapy is that it uses heat or extreme cold to target only the cancerous cells in the prostate”
- “This is a really pivotal moment. We can target individual areas of cancer in the prostate rather than removing it or irradiating it”
- “the side effects are five to tenfold lower risk compared to surgery and radiotherapy.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.