A decade-long trial involving nearly 3,500 men has indicated that focal therapy, a less invasive treatment for prostate cancer, provides excellent long-term cancer control with a significantly lower risk of side effects compared to traditional methods.
The study, conducted by the NHS, followed men with intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer who underwent focal therapy. After 10 years, only two participants had died from the disease, a statistic comparable to outcomes from surgery or radiotherapy. However, the focal therapy group experienced less than half the rate of side effects such as urinary leakage or loss of sexual function.
Professor Hashim Ahmed, a consultant urologist at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and a joint senior author of the study, stated that the findings demonstrate focal therapy's ability to deliver excellent long-term cancer control across a wide range of patients. He suggested that these results make a compelling case for more medical centers to offer this treatment.
Focal therapy has been available for over 20 years, but its adoption remains limited. Currently, only about 1,000 men annually in the UK receive this treatment, despite an estimated 15,000 individuals who could potentially benefit.
The therapy is not suitable for all prostate cancer cases, specifically those where the cancer is present in multiple areas of the prostate or has spread beyond the gland. Despite these limitations, the trial's long-term results suggest a viable alternative for many patients seeking effective cancer treatment with improved quality of life post-therapy.