An NHS trial over 10 years followed nearly 3,500 men who received focal therapy, a less invasive treatment.

A less invasive therapy for prostate cancer is just as effective as surgery or radiotherapy but with a lower risk of side effects, a major study suggests. The treatment, named focal therapy, uses high-intensity ultrasound or freezing cryotherapy to destroy cancerous tissue. A 10-year NHS study led by Imperial College London followed nearly 3,500 men who received the therapy, providing long-term data that medical regulators had previously said was missing. Researchers say the results are "excellent" and they are likely to add to pressure for focal therapy to be made more widely available. Nearly all the men had intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer - but 10 years after treatment only two had died from the disease. These outcomes are as good as surgery or radiotherapy, but with less than half the risk of side effects such as urine leakage or loss of sexual function. Joint senior author Professor Hashim Ahmed, consultant urologist at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said the findings demonstrated 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," he added.