Author Archives: Bernard Smyth

Great white sharks might hold the secrets to curing cancer and other diseases, experts believe – BBC News (Feb ’19). More here

Caterina Gentili, a PhD researcher from the Centre for Appearance Research (University of the West of England, Bristol), is conducting an online survey investigating the psychological and physical challenges that patients diagnosed with prostate cancer experience. The survey takes only 20 to 30 minutes. If you would like to participate, please follow this link. As […]

  Public Health England has published a statistical bulletin on survival rates (1-year and 5-year) for many types of cancer based on more recent data than previously available. If PCa is diagnosed at stages 1, 2 or 3, the 1-year survival rate is as good as for everyone else and the 5-year rate is the […]

A trial to spare the nerves around the prostate during surgery is being held at Southmead Hospital. if successful will reduce the risk of erectile disfunction and will be available throughout England. The trial featured on BBC Points West on January 23 ’19.

Thousands of prostate cancer patients could be spared surgery as experts create a tool that calculates their risk of dying from the disease with 90 per cent accuracy. See here


A radical new treatment for prostate cancer in which tumour injections boost the immune system to kill malignant cells has been hailed as a potential ‘game-changer’ (Dec ’18).  See here

Hospitals are treating more prostate cancer cases, partly thanks to celebrities raising awareness of the disease by speaking out about their own experiences, says the NHS head. Simon Stevens thanked broadcasters Bill Turnbull and Stephen Fry for urging men to seek help (Oct ’18). See here.

See a Cancer Research UK video about this remarkable surgical tool (Sept ’18).

Half of men are being denied access to the life-saving advanced MRI scan technique to spot prostate cancer, a Prostate Cancer UK investigation has found. Freedom of information requests to hospitals and health boards found that only 51 per cent of men have access to the scans. The responses also uncovered evidence of discrimination against […]

The number of UK deaths from prostate cancer has overtaken women’s breast cancer ones for the first time. The latest 2015 figures show there were 11,819 prostate deaths and 11,442 from breast cancer (Feb ’18). See here. But the NHS has launched a one-stop service  in 10 locations to revolutionise cancer treatment. There are none […]