'Cutting-edge' prostate cancer treatment to be rolled out by NHS from next week

Thousands of men with prostate cancer will be offered a more targeted radiotherapy by the NHS which requires just five doses.

Up to 3,500 men could take up the more-focused stereotactic radiotherapy (SABR), NHS modelling suggests.

SABR directs beams from different angles to work directly on a tumour, sparing healthy cells, with much higher doses of radiation cutting the number of required sessions.

NHS England said all 48 radiotherapy centres in England will be offering the treatment to men with early prostate cancer within three months, with some centres treating patients from next week.

SABR is typically delivered in five doses over a fortnight, compared with at least 20 doses for standard radiotherapy, and has fewer side effects.

NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said the new "cutting-edge approach" would "transform treatment for thousands of men".

He said: "This technology will not only help reduce the risk of certain side effects but also the major 'to-and-fro' burden of hospital treatment, which can be really draining for so many patients and their families."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 55,000 men being diagnosed every year and around 12,300 dying from the disease.

NHS England estimated the new roll-out could free up around 50,000 appointments for prostate cancer treatment each year, helping drive down waiting lists.

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NHS national clinical director for cancer, professor Peter Johnson, said that the roll-out was an "important step... following trials that were led by the UK".

He added that the treatment would not be suitable for everyone with localised prostate cancer, but encouraged anyone with questions to enquire.

Amy Rylance, director of health services at Prostate Cancer UK, said the treatment would "massively" reduce the burden that cancer places on men and their loved ones.

She continued: "We're now investing further to see whether even more men could benefit, including those whose cancer has begun to spread beyond the prostate.

"This would completely shift the paradigm in prostate cancer treatment, allowing us to cure cancers that would today be described as incurable."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Cutting-edge' prostate cancer treatment to be rolled out by NHS from next week