Other treatments for focal therapy
The majority of people that receive treatment for their prostate cancer will have one of the following treatment options:
- Active surveillance or watchful waiting
- Focal therapy, including NanoKnife and HIFU
- Prostatectomy
- Radiotherapy or hormone therapy
There are some others that you may be familiar with, but that aren’t as widely available – usually because they are older, or are very new.
If you’d like a second opinion about any treatments you’ve been recommended, contact The Focal Therapy Clinic to speak to our expert team of clinical specialists. They can help you understand all your options and make a decision that you can be confident in.
“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
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is another form of focal therapy. It uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy cancer cells, but can also be used to treat the entire prostate. In the UK, it’s only available at some treatment centers.
At The Focal Therapy Clinic, we only offer in cryotherapy in selected cases. This is because it’s not as precise as NanoKnife and HIFU, so carries higher risks of impotence and incontinence. Find out more about these two treatments.
Clinical trials
You may have read about clinical research into new treatments for prostate cancer. When a new medicine or treatment is trialled in a clinical setting, the people who developed it are trying to answer questions including:
- Is it safe?
- Does it work?
- What’s the best dosage?
- Does it work better than current treatments?
- What are the side effects?
Taking part in a clinical trial can help you access new treatments before they are approved. However, it’s important to fully understand the goals of the trial before you agree to participate. With clinical research, there are risks that the treatment isn’t safe, it doesn’t work, and the side effects are unknown. You also may not get to choose, or know, what treatment you’re getting.
If joining a clinical trial is something you’re interested in, speak to us or your existing medical team first. We can suggest any where you might be suitable. You can also try and find a clinical trial yourself.
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.
