Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy of men in the Western world and its incidence has been increasing over the last decade (a higher prevalence being partly due to the PSA screening programme). There are 6500 deaths in the UK annually from this cancer and a lifetime risk of developing this disease of around 7-10 %.
With the increased usage of PSA screening, the disease is being more readily picked up in its early stages and it is in this group of patients that very high cure rates (90% +) are now being achieved - either by surgery, external beam conformal radiotherapy or prostate seed brachytherapy (this last - brachytherapy - becoming more popular over radical surgery in the last few years).
