Thousands of men with prostate cancer will now be offered high-powered radiotherapy on the NHS

Key Points:

• NHS England will offer stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), a more precise and powerful form of radiotherapy that reduces treatment sessions from 20 to 5, to thousands of men with early-stage, low or medium-risk prostate cancer.
• The PACE-B trial demonstrated that SBRT is as effective as standard radiotherapy in controlling prostate cancer five years post-treatment, with similar low rates of side effects.
• SBRT delivers high doses of radiation from multiple angles, targeting tumors precisely while minimizing damage to healthy tissue, making it ideal for small, well-defined cancers.
• NHS England estimates that if 20% of eligible men choose SBRT, this could free up 50,000 additional prostate cancer treatment appointments annually, easing strain on healthcare services.
• Experts hailed the adoption of SBRT as a "game-changer" for patient convenience and cancer care, highlighting the importance of clinical research in advancing treatment options.