A pioneering treatment for prostate cancer rids nine in 10 sufferers of the disease without debilitating side effects, a British study showed yesterday.
Researchers at University College London used intense ultrasound to produce the "perfect" outcome for patients with the most common cancer in men.
The treatment can be completed during a single visit to a hospital, with patients walking out within hours. Radiotherapy and surgery are usually followed by long stays in hospital.
The ability of the ultrasound therapy to destroy tumours while avoiding side effects made it twice as effective as traditional methods, researchers said.
The treatment is expected to be approved as safe and effective next week by the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which will say that further trials should go ahead before it is approved for general use.
Scientists said the treatment could be used routinely within five years.
Researchers described the clinical trials as "very encouraging" and said they offered hope to the 37000 people diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK every year. More than 10000 men die each year from the disease in Britain.
If caught early, radiotherapy and surgery can stop the spread of prostate cancer but the side effects severely damage quality of life.
Of the men given the traditional treatments, up to 20% suffered from incontinence and half experienced impotence. Radiotherapy can also cause pain and bleeding.
The new technique "boils" cancerous cells and does less damage to surrounding tissue, minimising side effects.
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