A CANCER sufferer says he has been forced to travel 150 miles to get treatment because of a "postcode lottery".

Bob Norburn, aged 56, will travel to Sunderland to undergo cryotherapy treatment for prostate cancer.

The procedure, which involves killing cancer cells without invasive surgery, is only available at a small number of hospitals, but not in Bolton.

"If it's not disgusting enough that we have a two-tier health system, people's chances of getting treatment fit for the 21st century rests with a postcode lottery," he said.

Mr Norburn, of Farleigh Close, Westhoughton, was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year.

He says operations to remove the prostate gland -- which can leave men impotent, incontinent and facing six months of convalescing -- are "barbaric" but remain the only choice for patients in Bolton.

The cryotherapy treatment, which will cost him around £10,000, is free to cancer patients in Sunderland.

It has a much higher success rate than other forms of treatment and allows patients to leave hospital, in many cases, within 24 hours.

Studies show that 98 per cent of those who undergo the treatment are cancer-free after 12 months but those who undergo removal of the prostate only have a 75-80 per cent success rate.

Mr Norburn said: "I'm appalled that people in Sunderland can get this treatment but people in Bolton can't.

"There are probably 40 or 50 people in Bolton who are as desperate as me to be treated but can't afford it. There's nothing special about me other than I can afford to have this done.

"The Government says it has only just become aware of this treatment, but it has been used in other countries for 20 years and just a few miles up the road in Sunderland and other hospitals."

Surgeons at Sunderland Royal Hospital introduced the treatment in December 2003 and dozens of other hospitals are expected to follow suit.

Sunderland's consultant, Damien Greene, an international urology specialist, said: "Cryosurgery is a quicker, safer procedure with fewer side effects to major surgical procedures such as radical prostatectomy, enabling patients to return home much sooner after surgery.

"With cryosurgery, needles are inserted into the prostate gland. The freezing is lethal to all cells and destroys prostatic tissue."

A spokesman for Royal Bolton Hospital said: "This is a fairly new type of treatment and it is not being offered by Bolton or other hospitals across the North-west at the moment."