A new therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer which does not cause side effects such as impotence and urinary incontinence will be discussed at a talk at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

Professor Stephen Brown, emeritus professor of laser medicine and surgery at University College London will join in conversation with Dr Ian Gibson, honourary senior lecturer at Norwich Medical School and former Norwich North MP, to discuss the treatment, which has been hailed as a turning point in treating the disease. Dr Gibson said the technique - known as photodynamic therapy - may offer an alternative treatment to the current wait and see approach, also known as active surveillance. And that initial trials had 'looked very promising.'

Now, it is hoped the treatment may become available at NNUH, where Dr Gibson said it was already used for other cancers.

It works by a clinician injecting a light-sensitive drug into the bloodstream, which is then activated by laser pulses fired through optical fibres inserted into the prostate.

In trials, around half of the men given the treatment showed no signs of the disease two years later, compared with 13.5pc given standard care.

And because the treatment only targets tumours, long-term complications such as impotence and urinary incontinence seem to be avoided.

The talk will be held on September 4, from 7pm to 9pm, in the Benjamin Gooch Lecture Theatre, NNUH. All are welcome.