Thousands of men with prostate cancer in England will soon be offered a high-powered precision radiotherapy that slashes treatment sessions from 20 to just five, in what senior doctors describe as a transformative step for the disease.
The technique, known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), delivers a powerful and precise beam of radiation directly onto tumours from multiple angles, limiting damage to healthy cells. It has already been used for lung and brain cancers, but this is the first time it will be offered to low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients outside of trials.
“NHS to offer prostate cancer patients SABR radiotherapy, cutting sessions from 20 to five, starting within weeks.”
Of the 55,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in England, around 17,500 are considered low or intermediate risk. NHS England modelling suggests about a fifth of those – roughly 3,500 – are likely to take up the option, many of whom currently opt for active monitoring rather than immediate treatment because these cancers are slow-growing.
All 48 radiotherapy centres across the country are expected to start offering SABR “within weeks”, according to NHS England. National clinical director for cancer Prof Peter Johnson said the move would not benefit every prostate cancer patient but was an important milestone. “This technology lets us focus a powerful and precise beam of radiotherapy directly on to the cancer, limiting the damage to healthy cells,” he said. “And the fact it can be delivered in 15 fewer doses will help men get back to living their lives far more quickly.”
Amy Rylance, of Prostate Cancer UK, called it “wonderful news” and said the treatment would “massively reduce the burden that cancer places on them, and their loved ones”. The charity hopes the therapy will eventually become available to even more patients, and trials are already under way to see if it can be used for high-risk prostate cancer.
Edwin Lambert, 70, from Suffolk, took part in one such trial. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2025, he began hormone therapy and suffered side effects including loss of libido, hot flushes, mood swings and fatigue. He then received the new radiotherapy, targeting his prostate and surrounding lymph nodes. While being treated, he saw men undergoing traditional radiotherapy who looked “dreadful” in comparison because of the repeated bouts of treatment. Lambert said he experienced a more frequent need to urinate during and shortly after the precision radiotherapy, but within five weeks was back doing an archaeological dig he had long planned. “This treatment was an absolute godsend,” he added.
Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among British men, affecting one in eight over their lifetime, and kills around 11,500 men a year – one victim every 45 minutes. Symptoms can be vague and develop slowly, or never appear at all. The NHS rollout of SABR is expected to begin in the coming week, offering a faster, more targeted option for thousands of patients.