Light-based therapy ‘can aid treatment of early prostate cancer’

A new non-surgical treatment approach for prostate cancer has shown potential as a means of dealing with early cases of the disease that would normally go untreated.

University College London has led a phase III clinical trial of a new technique called vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy, which involves injecting a light-sensitive drug into the bloodstream and then activating it with a laser to destroy tumour tissue in the prostate.

To be commercialised by Steba Biotech, the method was trialled among 413 patients, with 49 per cent of patients treated with this method going into complete remission, compared to only 13.5 per cent in the control group.

Currently, radical therapy is the main way of treating prostate cancer, with this method involving surgically removing or irradiating the whole prostate. This can lead to lifelong erectile problems or incontinence.

By contrast, this new method can be targeted much more precisely, reducing the risk of these side effects and allowing low-risk patients – who would usually be monitored rather than actively treated – to safely receive therapy.

Lead investigator Professor Mark Emberton, dean of University College London Medical Sciences, said: "In prostate cancer we are still commonly removing or irradiating the whole prostate, so the success of this new tissue-preserving treatment is welcome news indeed."

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