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Prostate cancer can now be treated without affecting sexual performance using soundwaves.

Currently, men face the agonising choice of trying to live with the disease or having surgery and risking the end of their sex life.

But new focal therapy, in which high frequency soundwaves are fired at rice grain-sized cancers, cured 95% of patients in a trial, with only one in 10 suffering sex performance problems.

Prostate cancer is the commonest cancer among men with 37,000 a year being diagnosed and 10,000 deaths.

Dr Hashim Ahmed, who led the trial of 41 men at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our results are very encouraging.

"We’re optimistic that men diagnosed with prostate cancer may soon be able to undergo a day case surgical procedure, which can be safely repeated once or twice, to treat their condition with very few side effects.”

Current therapy involves treating the whole prostate, either with radiotherapy or by removing it completely.

Both damage surrounding healthy tissue and can lead to side effects with up to 25% suffering urinary incontinence, up to 70% suffering erection difficulties leaving them unable to have sex, and up to 10% having rectal problems.

The study, published in Lancet Oncology, showed the soundwaves heat tissue to 80 degrees, killing the cells in the target area.

The procedure is done under general anaesthetic and most patients are home in 24 hours.

Focal therapy is similar in principle to the “lumpectomy” operation commonly used as an alternative to a full mastectomy in breast cancer.

Professor Mark Emberton said: “It is a strategy that attempts to redress harms and benefits by offering men an alternative to standard care.”

Traditional treatment offers men a 50% chance of the perfect outcome – no urine leak, good erections and cancer control at 12 months after surgery or radiotherapy.

This rises to 90% using focal therapy.

Jacqui Graves, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We welcome any research that shows early signs of improving outcomes for prostate cancer patients.

“Significant reduction in the likelihood of common side effects will enable men to recover better and go on to lead good quality lives.

“We hope that a larger trial will be supported to ensure the best outcomes for men affected by prostate cancer.”