Thousands of men with prostate cancer risk life-changing side effects during treatment because they are not offered a therapy given to David Cameron.
The former prime minister revealed last week he had been treated successfully with focal therapy, a targeted approach which is less invasive than traditional surgery or radiotherapy.
His treatment dramatically cuts risks of side effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence which can affect up to 20 per cent of men in a standard operation.
It is also much cheaper, with patients usually in and out of hospital in a day and less likely to need follow-up care.
Yet just seven NHS hospitals – all in London and the South-East – provide it. The charity Prost8 says a third of men who need immediate treatment – equivalent to 17,000 a year – would benefit but up to 700 are offered it.
Prost8 founder Paul Sayer, whose prostate cancer was successfully treated with focal therapy, said the NHS is betraying thousands of men.
‘I speak to men who are terrified and wrongly being led to believe they have only two options – surgery or radiotherapy,’ he said.
As focal therapy is relatively new, watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence urges the NHS to be cautious till more evidence is gathered on its effectiveness.
Lord Cameron, right, was urged to get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test by wife Samantha, left, after listening to a radio interview on symptoms. He is believed to have been treated privately
The National Screening Committee has rejected offering all men routine screening for the cancer, despite evidence it could cut risk of death by 13 per cent.
It instead recommends men with genetic variant BRCA1 and BRCA2 be given screening.
About 63,000 are diagnosed with prostate cancer a year. For 10,000 it will be incurable. A further 5,600 will have early-stage disease which will be monitored.
Of the remaining 47,400, most have surgery to remove the prostate, or radiotherapy which treats the whole organ.
Focal therapy only treats the tumour – preserving healthy tissue – using laser ablation, soundwaves, cryotherapy or electrical pulses to generate heat or cold to destroy cancerous cells.
Just 600 to 700 men every year are thought to be offered it, although it is widely available privately for an average £16,000.
Lord Cameron was urged to get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test by wife Samantha after listening to a radio interview on symptoms. He is believed to have been treated privately.
The former prime minister revealed last week he had been treated successfully with focal therapy, a targeted approach which is less invasive than traditional surgery or radiotherapy
Prost8 said focal therapy equipment is far cheaper than standard robotic surgery and costs £500,000 per unit compared with £1.7million for the robot. Figures also suggest focal therapy costs the NHS on average £5,400 per patient while surgery costs £15,000 and radiotherapy £10,000.
Professor Hashim Ahmed, chair of urology at Imperial College London, said of focal therapy: ‘Hospitals offering it cannot cope with demand. We need more hospitals, surgeons and capacity.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘Current guidance notes limited evidence on the effectiveness of cryotherapy and high-intensity focused ultrasound and does not recommend they are routinely available on the NHS.’
