Clinical evidence for focal therapy
Focal therapy was first described to treat prostate cancer almost 20 years ago, and since then, many thousands of people have benefitted from focal treatments. In the UK, focal therapy is approved by NICE with the provision that data must be reported for monitoring purposes. This means that we have lots of data on how focal therapy has improved outcomes.
“Active surveillance may be highly effective in monitoring cancer, but for me, it was doing my head in — constantly worrying, not sleeping properly, and with my mind taking me to some very dark places.”
Perry Letcher
The Focal Therapy Clinic patient
NICE approval of focal therapy
When NICE reviews a new medicine or procedure, it must review all the data to make sure that it’s safe, and it works. To make a decision about HIFU and NanoKnife, NICE reviewed all the data available for them in 2022, including comparing when they were used focally (to target just your tumour) and for your whole gland.
It found that overall survival was higher for people treated with HIFU, compared with radical treatments (97.5% compared with 93.4%). There was a statistically significantly lower incidence of incontinence with focal HIFU compared with whole-gland HIFU. There was a statistically significantly lower incidence of erectile dysfunction with focal HIFU compared with whole-gland HIFU.
Overall survival was also higher for people treated with NanoKnife, compared with radical treatments (99-100% compared with 93.4%). In people fully continent before their procedure, there was generally no incontinence 12 months afterwards. For people that were able to get and maintain erections before their procedure, between 3-7% of people had difficulty doing so 12 months after their procedure. However, there is only a limited number of data available for NanoKnife treatments, as it is newer than HIFU.
HEAT and ICE registries
The HEAT and ICE registries collect data on everyone who has had focal therapy in the UK. The HEAT registry logs people who receive HIFU and the ICE registry tracks those who receive cryotherapy. There are similar registries for people in Europe and the US.
All surgeons and health centres in the UK can access the anonymised data held in these registries. As of September 2020, the registries hold data for over 3,200 people in the UK, from 18 clinical centres. This data will be used to understand long-term outcomes for people who are treated with these procedures.
Learn more about who is suitable for focal therapy
Suitability
Read more about current research into focal therapy for prostate cancer
Current Research
Any questions?
If you’ve got any questions about your prostate cancer diagnosis or want to know more about HIFU or NanoKnife, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly, knowledgeable team.
