A revolutionary new prostate treatment is being rolled out across the UK

Nine hospitals are set to offer a non-invasive option to stop thousands of men being left with gruelling side effects from prostate cancer surgery.

Every year, up to 12,000 men with early-stage prostate cancer will receive the same invasive treatment as those with advanced cancer, which often leads to urinary and erectile dysfunction.

But a new focal therapy that uses high focused beams of ultrasound (HIFU) or cryotherapy to target and treat the cancer leaving surrounding organs and tissue unharmed, is set to offer a new lifeline.

With three hospitals currently offering the treatment in the UK, a new campaign has launched to treble the number of hospital units offering the non-invasive option and help thousands of men access better treatment.

The One in Eight campaign by Prost8 - a charity that is fighting to make overtreatment a thing of the past and was created to help the one in eight men diagnosed with less aggressive prostate cancer access better treatment, also aims to put pressure on the NHS to encourage them to adopt the non-invasive options for men who are eligible.

Controlling cancer with fewer side effects

The launch of the campaign coincides with the results of a 10-year study which found focal therapy can control cancer just as well as radical surgery but crucially, it has better lifestyle outcomes.

Chair of Urology at Imperial College London, Professor Hashim Ahmed, who has been leading the UK's focal therapy study, said: "This research signals a huge breakthrough for focal therapy - as we now have long-term data from a number of sectors, surgeons and hospitals across the UK.

"The treatment, which could be available for nearly 12,000 men diagnosed each year with intermediate grade cancer that has not spread outside of the prostate gland, is showing excellent outcomes for cancer control with better quality of life.

“Men have a right to be treated locally - this is a national health service.

"It's critical that men are presented with options and are able to get the best treatment available to them and Prost8’s ONE in EIGHT campaign will enable that.

"Prost8 is extremely valuable as we need a charity that is focused on this treatment.

"Just as importantly, the few hospitals currently offering this treatment can't cope - we need more hospitals, we need more surgeons, we need more capacity.

"Many charities focus on survival at any cost - and while Prost8 doesn't degrade that aspect, they want to treat the cancer, they recognise that quality of life is just as important as quantity of life.

"Getting more focal therapy units into our hospitals shows that we recognise how you get there is just as important as if you get there."

Professor Ahmed revealed private options are available, but it costs each patient between £12,000 and £16,000 - which can be very limiting.

Prost8, the charity leading the rollout, was founded by Paul Sayer, after he received HIFU from Professor Ahmed three years ago.

Paul, 66 said: "People don’t realise that there are other forms of non-invasive treatment out there that can help you live longer and better following a prostate cancer diagnosis.

"I went in as a day case, had the treatment over an hour-and-a-half, came out with a catheter which was soon removed and that was it.