Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS’s national clinical director for cancer, said: “This technology lets us focus a powerful and precise beam of radiotherapy directly on to the cancer, limiting the damage to healthy cells – and the fact it can be delivered in 15 fewer doses will help men get back to living their lives far more quickly.
“It is an important step to make this pioneering treatment available on the NHS, following trials that were led by the UK – although it is not suitable for everyone with localised prostate cancer, we’d encourage anyone with questions about their treatment options to speak to their specialist team.”
‘Innovative cancer treatment’
James Murray, the Health Secretary, said: “Thousands of men with prostate cancer will benefit from this pioneering precision radiotherapy, helping them access faster, more effective treatment while reducing the strain that cancer care can place on patients and their families.
“Backed by the Government’s £70m investment in radiotherapy machines, this treatment targets tumours with greater accuracy, helping to reduce side effects and allowing many patients to complete their treatment in a fraction of the time compared with conventional radiotherapy.
“This is an important step in delivering our national cancer plan, expanding access to innovative cancer treatments, ensuring more patients benefit from the latest advances in cancer care closer to home.”
The Telegraph is calling for targeted screening, so that men with a family history of disease, black men and those with high-risk genes would be offered prostate-specific antigen tests.