NHS England will offer precision radiotherapy that cuts prostate cancer sessions from 20 to five

Thousands of men with prostate cancer in England are set to receive advanced radiotherapy that will dramatically reduce the number of hospital treatment sessions they need.

NHS England will offer stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, known as SABR, to eligible men with low and intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The precision treatment cuts the standard course from 20 sessions to just five, reducing the number of visits patients must make while still targeting the disease with high-powered beams.

Senior doctors say the treatment can focus radiation more accurately on the cancer, limiting harm to nearby healthy tissue and helping reduce side effects. SABR is already used for some other cancers, including lung and brain tumours, but this is the first time it will be offered to low and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients outside clinical trials.

Around 55,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Of those, about 17,500 have cancers classed as low or intermediate risk. NHS modelling suggests around one in five of that group, roughly 3,500 men, are likely to choose the new radiotherapy option.

Not every patient in this category will take immediate treatment. Some men with low-risk prostate cancer choose active monitoring instead, because their cancer may grow very slowly and may never cause serious harm. The new treatment is therefore expected to support those who do need, or choose, radiotherapy rather than replace every existing care plan.

NHS England said all 48 radiotherapy centres across the country are expected to begin offering SABR within weeks.

Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer, said the move would not help every prostate cancer patient, but described it as an important advance. He said the technology allows doctors to direct a powerful and precise beam at the cancer while reducing damage to healthy cells. He added that needing 15 fewer doses would help men return to normal life more quickly.

Prostate Cancer UK also welcomed the announcement. Amy Rylance, from the charity, said the move would reduce the pressure that cancer treatment places on patients and their families. The charity hopes the approach may eventually become available to more men.

Trials are already underway to test whether the same type of precision radiotherapy can help patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

One patient taking part in a trial is 70-year-old Edwin Lambert from Suffolk. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2025 and began hormone therapy before receiving the newer form of radiotherapy. He said the hormone treatment caused side effects including loss of libido, hot flushes, mood swings and fatigue.

Lambert later received advanced radiotherapy, which targeted his prostate and surrounding lymph nodes. He said the shorter treatment course was easier to manage than traditional radiotherapy and described seeing other men undergoing repeated hospital sessions who appeared to be struggling more.

He did experience a more frequent need to urinate during and shortly after treatment, but said he recovered quickly enough to join an archaeological dig within five weeks.

For many patients, the biggest change may be practical as well as medical. Fewer hospital visits can mean less disruption, less travel and less time spent arranging life around cancer treatment.

The NHS announcement marks a significant shift in prostate cancer care in England. While SABR will not be suitable for every man, it offers thousands a faster, more targeted option at a moment when cancer services remain under intense pressure.