PROSTATE cancer patients at a Wirral hospital are being invited to take part in a trial that aims to establish whether just five treatments of radiotherapy are as good as surgery for fighting the disease.

The ground-breaking research, taking place at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, is aimed at men who are diagnosed at an early stage of the disease.

Called Prostate Advances in Comparative Evidence (PACE) it follows a major study last year which found that fewer, higher doses of radiotherapy were as effective as giving lower doses for a longer period.

As well as examining the surgery versus radiotherapy option, in a separate arm, the trial will investigate whether the number of radiotherapy treatments can be reduced even further by administering greater doses with higher accuracy, a technique called Stereotactic Radiotherapy.

Dr Shaun Tolan, consultant clinical oncologist at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and member of the study's trial management group, said: "We've already seen prostate radiotherapy schedules slashed from seven and a half weeks to four weeks and now PACE is looking at the possibility of treating men in one week.

"This would be a very attractive option for men who wish to avoid surgery or for men who are concerned about the tiredness associated with lots of travelling and the disruption to work and family life caused by many weeks of treatment."