A BASINGSTOKE charity has raised over £70,000 to help Basingstoke become only one of two hospitals in the UK to offer new state-of-the-art treatment for men suffering with prostate cancer.

The North Hampshire Medical Fund, which raises money for hospital equipment independently of the NHS, is currently trying to raise £180,000 for Prostate Focal Therapy equipment.

The focused ultrasound treatment targets the cancerous area of the prostate which is seen as a less invasive form of therapy to treat prostate cancer and it reduces side effects of standard radiotherapy treatment such as incompetence and incontinence.

The treatment is currently only offered at the University College Hospital in London but it is hoped that once the funds are raised, Basingstoke can become the second hospital in the UK to offer the new treatment.

The group has raised £70,000 of its final total after they held a silent auction at a private viewing of the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition, which saw over 600 people flock to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London last month.

William Magill, chairman of the board of the fund’s trustees, said: “We are extremely grateful for all of the generous donations to the North Hampshire Medical Fund.

“We’ll use the money raised to purchase up-to-date technology for the hospital that will improve diagnoses, make treatments less invasive, speed recovery and reduce pain.”

Richard Hindley, a consultant urologist at Basingstoke Hospital, added: “This latest technology will give men with prostate cancer more options for managing their disease and reduce treatment side effects.

The high-intensity focused ultrasound equipment accurately identifies the extent and location of the cancer, meaning less invasive therapy and less time in hospital for our prostate cancer patients.”

In the past, the fund has raised enough money to purchase specialist equipment for Basingstoke Hospital.

This has included a CT scanner, eye examination equipment and endoscopy scope guides which are used for colonoscopies.