Clearance by UK regulator allows trial to restart, with pivotal US trial hoped to follow suit to keep AstraZeneca and Oxford's candidate on track for a potential late 2020 readout. Plus, new results with Sinovac's vaccine in the elderly and progress with antibodies.

The combined market for prostate cancer diagnostics and minimally invasive treatments is set to increase from $900m to $1.46bn in the next five years. But conservative treatment, or watchful waiting, is popular, limiting growth of newer, focal treatments.

Almost four years after the agency first authorized a prostate ablation device, regulators have proposed a number of requirements for clinical studies that sponsors would have to meet to comply with special controls needed for the devices to be cleared for marketing.

Cancer rates are rising worldwide and as diagnostic techniques continue to improve, new surgical ablation devices are becoming crucial weapons in the growing arsenal of cancer treatment tools. These devices allow doctors to burn away tumors with precision, speed and safety, without the side-effects that patients undergoing radical cancer therapy often experience. This article provides an overview of the cancer ablation market, highlights the key players working on these devices and discusses their potential applications. It also includes critical insights from a leading interventional urologist on the pros and cons of using these various technologies in treating prostate cancer.