UHCW patients help pave the way for national prostate cancer treatment breakthrough

Pioneering research involving University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust has helped pave the way for new and improved radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer patients.

The treatment, known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), delivers highly targeted radiotherapy from multiple angles with pinpoint accuracy.

For eligible men with localised prostate cancer, it can reduce treatment from at least 20 sessions over four weeks to just five doses within a fortnight.

The first patient at UHCW to receive prostate SABR was treated in 2016 as part of the PACE-B clinical trial. Since then, many local patients have benefited from early access to this innovative form of precision radiotherapy through participation in clinical trials at UHCW, including PACE-B, PACE-C and PACE-NODES.

While UHCW has been offering this to eligible patients since April 2025, NHS England is now rolling out the approach more widely across England.

Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive Officer at UHCW NHS Trust, said: “Research is central to how we improve care for our patients, both now and in the future.

“This is a fantastic example of how pioneering research at UHCW can help shape national practice and bring real benefits to people with cancer.

“By taking part in important studies like this, we are helping to develop treatments that are not only clinically effective, but also more convenient and less disruptive for patients and their families.”

More than 870 patients from around the world – including 30 at UHCW - took part in the PACE-B trial between 2012 and 2022.

The study showed that giving higher doses of targeted radiotherapy over five days was as effective as the standard treatment course.

UHCW Consultant Clinical Oncologist Dr Andrew Chan was principal Investigator for the trial at the Trust, supported by the radiotherapy teams and research staff.

Building on this work, UHCW went on to recruit a further 137 patients to the PACE-C trial, which is evaluating the role of prostate SABR in patients with higher-risk disease. Through participation in clinical trials at UHCW, local patients have been able to access this advanced form of targeted radiotherapy years before routine NHS commissioning, while helping to generate the evidence needed to shape future national practice.

Reducing the number of hospital visits required for treatment enabled patients to spend more time at work or at home with loved ones. Fewer treatment visits also mean lower travel costs and a reduced carbon footprint.

Willy Goldschmidt, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, said being given the opportunity to receive the condensed radiotherapy schedule was ‘life changing’.

“The shorter treatment schedule had minimal impact on my daily life and I was able to carry on with my day-to-day activities as normal,” he said.

“I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to take part in the trial and I am delighted thousands of other men will now also receive the benefit. I also recommend all men aged between 50 and 80 step forward and request their GP book a PSA test.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 55,000 men being diagnosed every year and around 12,300 losing their lives.

Around 17,500 are diagnosed with low or intermediate risk prostate cancer in England each year and could be offered the option of SABR radiotherapy to treat their cancer and reduce the risk of it spreading.

To find out more about research at UHCW, click here.