Targeted therapy and personalised prescription for prostate cancer

Improvements in research, diagnostics and treatments for long-term conditions have inevitably lead to better survival rates. Therefore, focus is shifting to achieving optimal quality of life.

Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK, with 47 000 men being diagnosed every year (Clinical Services Journal, 2019), it develops gradually and usually has no signs or symptoms for many years, sometimes even decades (NHS, 2018). Diagnosis can therefore be delayed and treatment is often not immediately necessary (NHS, 2018). Once the prostate has enlarged enough to see symptoms, patients may notice an increased urge to urinate, straining while urinating or a feeling that the bladder has not been fully emptied (NHS, 2018). These symptoms do not necessarily mean a person has prostate cancer, as prostate enlargement itself can cause these symptoms, but they should not be ignored, as early stage prostate cancer can be cured by removing the prostate or via radiotherapy, either as a standalone treatment or alongside hormone therapy (NHS, 2018).