SCIENCE THAT BRINGS HOPE

The questions that keep you up at night are the ones scientists are working hardest on. Their findings show that treatments are getting better and will continue to do so.

The important thing to bear in mind is that, while cancer diagnoses are on the rise (cases in men have risen by 7.2%, according to recent statistics), survival rates are also improving, as treatments get better and better.

‘In prostate cancer, there have been massive developments in the last few years,’ says Dr Tharmalingam. ‘A lot of surgical interventions are done robotically now, meaning that erectile function can be preserved much better than it used to be. It generally means a shorter stay in hospital and the operation is less burdensome.

‘Prostate cancer used to involve six to eight weeks of radiotherapy with hormone treatments that had a huge effect on wellbeing and erectile function. Now we can treat many cases over five days with Cyberknife treatments and no need for hormones. Even if prostate cancer is advanced or has spread, there are also very effective new treatments, and in many cases it can be considered a chronic condition, as opposed to what we used to call “terminal”.’

And advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapies are improving survival rates across a range of cancers, including lung. ‘These new treatments mean that the prognosis is much better,’ says Dr Cunliffe.

New treatments mean that the prognosis is much better