Steam could spell relief for prostate sufferers

A new 20-minute steam treatment could revolutionise the way middleaged men who suffer from the common condition of an enlarged prostate are treated by removing the need for surgery.

The procedure, which can be done under local anaesthetic or sedation, involves injecting small amounts of steam into the prostate to reduce its size. It was approved for routine NHS use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) yesterday.

One in three men over the age of 50 – about two million people – suffer from an enlarged prostate, which forces the urethra to narrow. This causes a variety of problems, including needing to visit the toilet more frequently and with more urgency, along with difficulty emptying the bladder.

An enlarged prostate is not linked to cancer and does not increase the risk of getting prostate cancer, yet the symptoms can be similar.

Around 18,000 usually haveanoperationtorelieve the condition, but this can lead to complications such as bleeding, infection and incontinence. The steam treatment called Rezum avoids the need for invasive surgery.