AN interactive computer programme could reduce prostate cancer patients' anxiety about their condition, according to North-East research.

Recently-diagnosed pros-tate cancer patients at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, were asked to take part in a trial of an interactive educational computer programme about prostate cancer.

Researchers questioned the patients before and after using the programme to assess whether it could help them understand and cope with the disease better.

The researchers found that two-thirds of patients using the programme felt it answered all their questions and effectively reduced distress.

About 1,216 men in the North-East and 27,000 nationally are diagnosed every year with prostate cancer.

The number of cases increased rapidly in the 1990s following a rise in the use of PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing by GPs, which can pick up an early warning of the cancer and other conditions.

This trend is expected to continue with increased PSA testing and a rise in male life expectancy - resulting in a larger group who are particularly at risk.

David Chadwick, clinical director of urology at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, said: "This increase in the number of cases means there is an urgent need to communicate information about this disease to many men, using limited healthcare resources."

Professor Robert Souhami, of Cancer Research UK, said: "Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK. This programme could ensure that those men who are diagnosed early are aware of all their options."