Prostate focal therapy matches surgery, cuts side effects

A major long-term study published on July 17, 2026, has found that focal therapy, a minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer, provides cancer control comparable to traditional surgery or radiotherapy while significantly reducing the risk of debilitating side effects. The research, led by Imperial College London and published in the journal European Urology, followed nearly 3,500 men for a decade, offering the most robust evidence to date for the treatment's long-term efficacy.

The study found that ten years after receiving focal therapy, only two of the 3,477 participants had died from prostate cancer, and just three in 100 saw their cancer spread outside the prostate. These survival and disease progression rates are similar to those achieved with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy. Crucially, the research indicates focal therapy carries a fivefold lower risk of side effects such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and rectal problems because it targets only the cancerous area of the prostate, sparing surrounding healthy tissue.

Professor Hashim Ahmed, joint senior author of the study and chair of urology at Imperial College London, said the findings...