Jim Matthews chose focal therapy, or HIFU for prostate cancer. “I couldn’t believe it was so simple,” says Jim, who is 71.

You are here: Home » Jim Matthews chose focal therapy, or HIFU for prostate cancer. “I couldn’t believe it was so simple,” says Jim, who is 71.

“I started getting up at night to go to the toilet, which was something I’d not done before. Straight away, my wife said – you need to see a doctor. I saw my doctor, then went to a local hospital for an MRI scan and biopsy. I was told that had prostate cancer, although the good news was that it was confined to one part of my prostate.

My daughter then got on the iPad to research different treatments and found out about HIFU. It appealed to me because of the way it reduces side effects and complications. I still have a nice relationship with my wife, and I didn’t want that to be affected by surgery. Additionally, I didn’t like the idea of coming and going for radiotherapy sessions.

Through our own research, we came across Alan Doherty who explained everything really well during zoom consultations, as we were in the middle of the Covid pandemic. It was arranged that I would have my HIFU procedure in London in July.

I decided to get the train with my wife, as I live in Staffordshire 120 miles away. I was a bit worried about how I might feel on the way back home. I needn’t have worried. My HIFU procedure took about two hours and I spent another hour coming back round after that. Then we got back on the train and I can honestly say that I didn’t feel any difference whatsoever. There was no soreness, no discomfort or nausea from the general anaesthetic. I couldn’t believe it was so simple. We got home late in the evening and that was it: prostate cancer treatment done in a single day.

I took it easy for a week, but after that, I got back to my usual activities, such as going for walks. Wearing a catheter was probably the worst part but even that wasn’t too bad. I’ve seen my doctor locally and tests have shown that my PSA is coming down. I’m due to see Mr Doherty soon.

I would highly recommend HIFU. It is so simple and it makes sense to target the area where the cancer is located in the prostate rather than taking out the whole prostate. I would also recommend Mr Doherty. He was so nice to talk to and explained everything clearly, which was so important because we had to get through all of this during a pandemic, doing our own research and speaking to Mr Doherty on zoom. I’m particularly grateful to my two guardian angels – my wife and daughter for the way they guided and supported me through it all.”


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