Men in England with prostate cancer to receive high-powered precision radiotherapy, reducing treatment sessions from 20 to five.
Key facts
- •Thousands of men in England with prostate cancer will be offered high-powered precision radiotherapy.
- •The treatment, called SABR, reduces treatment sessions from 20 to five.
- •Around 17,500 men are deemed low or intermediate risk each year.
- •Modelling suggests around 3,500 will take up the option of this form of radiotherapy.
- •NHS England expects all 48 radiotherapy centres to start offering the treatment 'within weeks'.
- •Trials are under way to see if the precision radiotherapy can be used on high-risk prostate cancer patients.
Thousands of men in England with prostate cancer will be offered high-powered precision radiotherapy, reducing treatment sessions from 20 to five. The technique, called SABR, targets the disease more effectively than standard radiotherapy and helps reduce side-effects.
Treatment Details
The treatment, already offered to some patients with other types of cancer, including lung and brain, will now be available to low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients outside of trials. Of the 55,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, around 17,500 are deemed low or intermediate risk. Modelling suggests a fifth of those - around 3,500 - are likely to take up the option of this form of radiotherapy.
Expert Comments
National clinical director for cancer Prof Peter Johnson said the move would not benefit all prostate cancer patients, but was an important step. Amy Rylance, of Prostate Cancer UK, said it was wonderful news that thousands of men in England will now have access to this revolutionary targeted radiotherapy. Edwin Lambert, 70, from Suffolk, who underwent the new type of radiotherapy, said it was 'easier to deal with' and 'an absolute godsend'.
This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by BBC Health.
