Sponsored by News Improved recovery of erectile
function after prostate surgery A technique to improve the precision of prostate cancer surgery means that almost twice as many men preserve their erectile function compared to those undergoing standard surgery, according to results from a clinical trial led by researchers from UCL and UCLH. The results of the NeuroSAFE PROOF trial,
presented at the 2025 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Madrid and published in The Lancet Oncology, raise the prospect of major quality of life improvements for men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, which can often result in erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. The trial evaluated a method (called NeuroSAFE)
of preserving the nerves that run through the prostate’s outer layers, which are thought to be responsible for producing erections, during prostate removal. The pioneering method includes an additional test to ensure that all of the cancerous cells are removed, so that preserving the nerves does not risk the surgery’s success. In recent years, preservation of these nerves has been made possible by robotic surgery technology that gives the surgeon the precision required to peel off and retain the outermost layers of the prostate where the nerves are situated, a process known as ‘nerve sparing’. However, during standard surgery, it can be difficult to determine whether retaining these outer layers risks leaving some cancerous cells behind. In many cases, especially where the tumour is most advanced, surgeons
UKHSA highlights pathogens of greatest risk to public health
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published its view on the pathogen families that could pose the greatest risk to public health, in a bid to focus and guide preparedness efforts against these threats. The list of 24 pathogen families, a reference
will err on the side of caution and forego nerve sparing to ensure that all of the patient’s cancer is removed. NeuroSAFE enables them to check during the operation whether further tissue removal is needed or not. Professor Greg Shaw, the trial lead from UCL
Surgery & Interventional Science and Consultant Urologist at UCLH, said: “NeuroSAFE wouldn’t be appropriate for all patients, as many can safely have nerve-sparing surgery using standard robotic techniques. But for younger patients and those who wouldn’t normally be seen as eligible for nerve- sparing surgery, it offers them a greater chance to hold onto their quality of life.” The technique did not increase the overall
proportion of patients who eventually returned to being fully continent at 12 months. However, NeuroSAFE patients who recovered their urinary control did so faster than patients who underwent standard surgery.
tool to help guide research and development investment in England, is the first specifically designed to consider both global public health threats, as well as those most relevant to a UK population. It provides information on pathogen families where UKHSA believes further research would be most beneficial to boost preparedness against future biosecurity risks, particularly around diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. Among the pathogen families where UKHSA
is keen to see greater scientific strides made are the coronaviridae family, which includes COVID-19; the paramyxoviridae family, which includes Nipah virus; and the orthomyxoviridae family, which includes avian influenza. Dr. Isabel Oliver, Chief Scientific Officer for
UKHSA, said: “We are using the tool as part of our conversations with the scientific community, to help ensure that investment is focused to where it can have the biggest impact.” To access the new tool, visit: https://tinyurl. com/msff86ce
Crack teams get patients off waiting lists at twice the speed
A new government initiative to send top doctors to support hospital Trusts in areas where more people are out of work and waiting for treatment is cutting waiting lists faster, new data shows. In September, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting sent in ‘crack teams’ spearheaded by top clinicians to NHS hospitals serving communities with high levels of economic inactivity. The teams support NHS Trusts to go further and faster to improve care in these areas, where more people are neither employed nor actively seeking work, for reasons including ill health. Latest data from October 2024 to January 2025
shows waiting lists in these areas have, on average, been reduced at more than double the rate of the rest of the country, falling 130% faster in areas where the government scheme is in action than the national average. A total of 37,000 cases have been removed from the waiting lists in those 20 areas, averaging almost 2,000 patients per local Trust. The teams of leading clinicians are introducing
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treatment pathway in one appointment. These include employment advisers on site to support patients with any barriers to returning to work. Those that require surgery are then booked to ‘high flow theatre’ lists such as those at the Trafford Elective Surgery Hub.
l Warrington and Halton - which has run super clinics for gynaecology delivered at weekends, with one-stop models reducing the need for follow-up appointments.
more productive ways of working to deliver more procedures, including running operating theatres like Formula One pit stops to cut down on wasted time between operations. The scheme has delivered huge improvements in areas of high economic inactivity. They include:
l The Northern Care Alliance and Manchester Foundation Trust - where a series of ‘super clinics’ with up to 100 patients being seen a day in one-stop appointments where patients can be assessed, diagnosed and put on the
l East Lancs Hospitals Trust - which has focused on streamlining diagnostic pathways and increasing capacity for echocardiography, or heart scans, reducing the waiting list for these from around 2,700 patients to around 700 - with all patients having their scan within 6 weeks.
Following the success of the programme, the government has confirmed similar crack teams will be rolled out to additional providers this year to boost NHS productivity and cut waiting times further.
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