If you’ve recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you’re not alone. More than 50,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, according to research from Prostate Cancer UK.

Awareness around the symptoms and the treatment options available is continuing to rise, supported by beloved public figures such as Stephen Fry and Bill Turnbull speaking out about their journeys with prostate cancer. This public awareness and thus earlier diagnosis rates are crucial for increasing survival rates.

But with several treatment options being accessible, an important question arises: What is the most effective prostate cancer treatment in 2025?

The answer isn’t necessarily straightforward, as it depends on several factors, including the stage of the cancer and the patient’s overall health. Ultimately, this is your decision, and yours alone, to make. We suggest speaking with your family and friends, which will help you understand all of your options. Additionally, conduct some research with charities that have helped support the psychological impact after treatment, like Tackle and Prostate Cancer UK.

In this article, we’ll explore the different cancer treatments available to you, how radiotherapy and brachytherapy compare and some new innovations that are shaping cancer care in 2025. We’ll also share BXTA’s expertise with LDR brachytherapy and why this could be the best option for you.

Understanding the Main Treatment Options

There are several treatment paths that men diagnosed with prostate cancer can take. This decision is deeply personal and will be informed by your own research and your doctor’s specialist advice. You should also take into consideration that doctors may be specialised in their treatment offering and may not have had enough or any experience in other forms of treatment. The following options may be presented to you:

Watchful Waiting and Active Surveillance

Watchful waiting refers to conservative management for patients deemed unsuitable for curative treatment from the beginning. With watchful waiting, patients are clinically ‘watched’ for the development of their prostate cancer, whether it be local or systemic progression, with (imminent) disease-related symptoms. When patients reach this stage, they will then be treated palliatively according to their symptoms. This is to help them maintain their quality of life and enable them to enjoy their lives as much as possible.

Active Surveillance

This strategy seeks to avoid any unnecessary treatment for men with low-risk, potentially harmless cancers, while keeping a close eye in case anything changes. Active surveillance means that the situation will be closely monitored by your cancer care team, including regular PSA tests, MRI scans and even biopsies to ensure that any signs of progression are caught immediately.

If you would like to learn more about this, visit Cancer Research UK’s website.

Surgery (Radical Prostatectomy/Robot Assisted Radical Prostatectomy)

Prostate cancer surgery is a major operation that involves the removal of the prostate gland and the cancer cells within it. This treatment is only effective if the cancer is localised or locally advanced (depending on how far it has spread) and if the patient is in good health.

Although this surgery doesn’t guarantee that all of the cancerous cells have been removed and that the cancer won’t return, some men find peace in the knowledge that their prostate has been physically removed from their body.

As this is a major surgery, it does come with risks to the patient, and you still might experience side effects, such as urinary incontinence, shorter erection length, and erectile dysfunction for the remainder of your life, all of which have a low chance of being treated. Additionally, you might need further treatment like radiotherapy, and you won’t be able to have children naturally anymore. However, this can be remedied by storing your sperm before the procedure.

Read more from charity Prostate Cancer UK here.

External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) and Steretactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

Radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation from outside the body to target prostate cancer cells. A well-established treatment, it is often combined with hormone therapy to increase the chances of success and reduce the possibility of cancerous cells returning.

EBRT doses of radiation over a longer period of time in multiple sessions (fractions) up to 20 settings over a period of 5-6weeks, where SBRT offers higher doses in fewer sessions, with recent research requiring 5 sessions.

However, as both forms of radiation treat the whole prostate, this treatment can damage surrounding healthy cells, which can lead when the following side effects may occur:

>Skin irritation and loss of pubic hair

>Tiredness and fatigue

>Urinary issues and inflammation of the bladder

>Diarrhoea and other bowel problems

>Erectile dysfunction and infertility

For more details about this treatment, visit Prostate Cancer UK’s website.

Low-Dose Rate and High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy, also known as internal radiotherapy, delivers radiation from within the body. There are two main types of brachytherapy:

• Low-Dose Rate (LDR): Tiny seeds, each one the size of a grain of sand, are implanted in the prostate, emitting radiation over a period of 6 months. The procedure takes on average 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.
• High-Dose Rate (HDR): Hollow needles are inserted into the prostate, then a single high-activity seed travels from one needle to another to treat the prostate to deliver radiation. This procedure typically only takes half a day.

LDR brachytherapy has demonstrated long-term survival rates from cancer and has side effects less severe than HDR, EBRT, and SBRT. Although brachytherapy causes similar side effects to EBRT, some of the side effects can be less severe, with many men experiencing no long-term issues at all.

Hormone Therapy

Sometimes known as endocrine therapy, this treatment lowers or blocks the amount of testosterone in the body, which prostate cancer relies on to grow. It’s typically used alongside radiotherapy.

For more details, follow this link for Prostate Cancer UK’s insights.

LDR Brachytherapy: A Minimally Invasive Alternative

With over 20 years of cancer survival, LDR brachytherapy stands out as a highly targeted form of radiotherapy, which is also minimally invasive, making it an attractive alternative to other forms of cancer treatments, especially radical prostatectomy. The effectiveness of this treatment has been proven for over two decades, providing patients with an option they can trust.

Who is LDR Brachytherapy Suitable for?

Brachytherapy is an option that is recommended for men with:

• – Localised prostate cancer
• – Locally advanced prostate cancer, treatment combined with external beam radiotherapy (also known as boost).
• – Good urinary and bowel function

Your suitability for this treatment may also be assessed based on the stage of your prostate cancer, and therefore whether it might need to be used in combination with EBRT and hormone therapy.

Benefits of LDR Brachytherapy

• Precision: A focused concentrated radiation dose is delivered directly to the site of the tumour, this minimises the exposure to healthy tissue and lowers your risk of side effects.
• Convenience: When compared with other treatments, LDR brachytherapy is often quicker and more convenient, taking only 45 minutes to 2 hours and allowing same-day discharge.
• Long-term solution: While some side effects may still occur due to the sensitivity of the area, many men report and experiencing no lasting effects.

What Are the Side Effects?

LDR brachytherapy does come with the traditional side effects associated with prostate cancer treatment, including urinary issues and bowel problems. Sexual functions recover over time. LDR brachytherapy is a particularly attractive option for younger patients, as this treatment is associated with better long-term outcomes, including improved recovery times and shorter overall treatment time.

This makes LDR brachytherapy far less disruptive for the patient, especially when compared with surgery and all forms of external radiation that requires multiple visits. Studies have even shown that the risk of incontinence is far lower after brachytherapy.

Emerging Treatments

Technology and research are continually evolving, supported by growing public awareness and a global push for a cure for cancer. These advancements are shaping more personalised and effective prostate cancer care.

According to the NHS, some hospitals are now offering patients new minimally invasive treatments alongside current treatments. The longer-term outcomes are not yet known; however, they are currently providing prostate cancer patients with fewer side effects.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

HIFU uses high-frequency ultrasound energy to heat up and kill off prostate cancer cells. This is done by sending a beam of ultrasound energy into the affected area via a probe inserted into the rectum.

It is suitable for patients with localised prostate cancer and enables a shorter hospital stay, but the patient will require a catheter until the swelling of the prostate is reduced. This treatment is also less likely to cause urinary issues or erectile dysfunction than surgery.

As we’ve mentioned above, this treatment is still fairly new, and therefore, we don’t yet fully understand the long-term effects on people with prostate cancer. It also may not be suitable for men with a larger prostate. Speak with your doctor or medical professional before committing to a treatment option.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a treatment for prostate cancer that employs the use of extreme cold to freeze and destroy the cancerous cells. Also known as cryosurgery or cryoablation, it is administered through thin needles that are placed into the prostate, through which a cold gas is transferred.

This treatment is also for those with localised prostate cancer. It is minimally invasive with a hospital stay of up to 24 hours, and most patients return to their normal activities within a few weeks. Still in the clinical trial phase, cryotherapy isn’t currently widely available in the UK, and we don’t yet know its long-term effects, so we recommend you consult with your doctor before choosing this treatment option.

Focal Low-Dose Rate Brachytherapy

Recent advances in image-guided brachytherapy are showing encouraging results. Focal low-dose rate brachytherapy has enabled there to be a volume reduction in treatment for prostate cancer, with the aim of optimising control of the cancer and reducing toxicities.

Across studies, lower rates of toxicity were reported, making this form of brachytherapy safer. It even has the potential to improve one’s quality of life post-treatment, which is an increasing priority for cancer treatments.

Of course, more research is needed, especially into comparing focal brachytherapy with whole-gland treatments. This is largely so that researchers can gain a better understanding of the relative efficacy and safety between the two. However, it does show promising signs for the future of prostate cancer treatments and improved outcomes for patients.

Advancements in Medicine

Excitingly, a new experimental pill, currently known as NXP800, is tackling the critical issue of resistance to hormone treatment. Already trialled in women with ovarian cancer, this medicine could also help people with prostate cancer by slowing the growth of cancerous cells.

It is still in the early stages of development; however, it shows promising signs of improving patients’ quality of life.

Ongoing Trails

Cancer Research UK and Prostate Cancer UK are just two of the key players in transforming research into cancer and funding new discoveries and therapies that help people with prostate cancer.

So, What Is the Most Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment in 2025?

The truth is, there are many options to choose from; it depends on your diagnosis, the cancer’s risk category and your overall health. But thanks to medical innovation and wider awareness, men diagnosed today have more effective options and more support than ever before. So, we encourage all men to understand all treatment options for treating cancer and consider the quality of life after treatment, as all treatments are not equal.

At BXTA, we’re proud to support hospitals and clinics in delivering advanced LDR brachytherapy, a proven, targeted treatment that could be the right fit for many patients.

Speak with your healthcare team, do your research, and take confidence in making the right choice for you.

LDR Brachytherapy With BXTA

If you’d like to learn more about how LDR brachytherapy works and how it could change your life, we invite you to explore BXTA’s patient stories, nearest treatment centres, and professional guidance.