NICE: Patients with rare bile duct cancer set to benefit from life extending treatment

NICE | 25 August 2021 | Patients with rare bile duct cancer set to benefit from life extending treatment

Some patients who have a rare form of bile duct cancer are set to benefit from life-extending treatment pemigatinib after NICE announced the final draft guidance would be published last month.

Pemigatinib is an option for adults whose cancer has progressed after chemotherapy and around 50 people will be eligible for treatment with it. Evidence suggests that pemigatinib works better than current treatments at this stage of cancer.

Pemigatinib was not recommended at the appraisal consultation draft stage, but the company has provided further information to address the uncertainties highlighted by the committee. This has enabled the committee to conclude pemigatinib is most likely within the range that NICE considers a cost-effective use of NHS resources for a life-extending treatment at end of life (Source: NICE).

Further details are available from NICE

Final draft guidance is available from NICE

NICE draft guidance recommends abemaciclib for advanced breast cancer

NICE |  August 2021 | NICE draft guidance recommends abemaciclib for advanced breast cancer

NICE has recently published draft guidance which recommends twice-daily pill abemaciclib (also called Verzenios and made by Eli Lilly) as an option for adults with a type of breast cancer called hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer which has spread to other parts of the body.

Draft guidance Abemaciclib with fulvestrant for treating hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer after endocrine therapy [ID2727]

Full details from NICE [press release]

[NICE Consultation] Brain tumours (primary) and brain metastases in adults

NICE | In development [GID-QS10092] | Expected publication date: 07 December 2021 

This Quality Standard is open until Monday 6 September 2021 at 5pm.

Full details and documents for consultation are available from NICE

New cancer hospital opens in Carlisle

Department of Health and Social Care & The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP | August 2021 | New cancer hospital opens in Carlisle

Thousands of patients in Cumbria will benefit from state-of-the-art cancer diagnosis and treatment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Carlisle.

• On Thursday 19 August 2021 Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has officially opened a cancer hospital in Carlisle to make one of the biggest combined cancer treatment services in the country
• The £35 million Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria, integrates cancer diagnosis and treatment across Cumbria, with a chemotherapy day unit, plus radiotherapy and CT scanners
• The centre is the first hospital to open as part of the government’s commitment to deliver 48 hospitals by 2030, backed by an initial £3.7 billion

This new £35 million facility visited by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care today will be used by patients from across north, west and east Cumbria, making it one of the biggest combined cancer treatment services in the country.

The hospital brings new, cutting-edge services under one roof in north Cumbria for the first time including a chemotherapy day unit, radiotherapy machines and a CT scanner as well as outpatients, consultation and examination rooms. The new facilities means most adult cancer patients in Cumbria will be able to receive care close to home, rather than having to travel (Source: Department of Health and Social Care).

Health Secretary opens new cancer hospital

National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients: Annual Report 2021

Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership

The National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients, which aims to evaluate the process of care and outcomes for older women diagnosed with breast cancer in NHS hospitals within England and Wales, has published its annual report for 2021. Based on data from women aged 50+ years diagnosed with breast cancer between 1 January 2019 and 31 July 2020, this report reviews diagnoses and treatment patterns across England and Wales, taking the early months of the pandemic into consideration.

Read the full report here

Cancer Patient Survey 2021: Patients less likely to rate cancer care as ‘very good’ during pandemic #Covid19RftLks

Cancer Research UK | July 2021 | Cancer Research UK Cancer Patient Survey 2021 CRUK’s second survey studying the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients in the UK

This report shares the findings of CRUK’s second survey of 900 cancer patients conducted December 21st 2020 –
March 25th 2021. The survey aimed to build a more complete understanding of how cancer patients’ perspectives of how their testing, treatment and care had been impacted by the pandemic since it began as well as impact on wellbeing and what they wanted the government to be doing. The survey also included new questions on clinical trials, COVID-19
safety measures, remote consultations and community-based treatment.

Key findings

• Almost a third (29 per cent) cancer patients reported that their treatment had been impacted since the start of the pandemic.
• Around 4 in 5 (80 per cent) reported that their care had been impacted in at least one way. The most common ways they were affected was going to treatment alone, having check-ups at hospital cancelled or postponed, and receiving less support both from support groups and clinical nurse specialists.
• The proportion of cancer patients who rated their overall cancer care as ‘very good’ reduced from 84 per cent for before the pandemic started (retrospective rating) to 60 per cent since the pandemic started, 33 per cent downgraded their rating since the pandemic started.
• The majority of cancer patients reported positive experiences of COVID-19 safety measures, particularly safe spaces (89 per cent), wearing masks (80 per cent) and home and community-based treatment (75 per cent).
• The most reported concern generally was of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 (50 per cent) and catching COVID-19 (49 per cent).
• Patients reported feeling more “frustrated” (67 per cent) and more “anxious” (62 per cent) compared to before pandemic (Source: Cancer Research UK)

Cancer Research UK Cancer Patient Survey 2021 CRUK’s second survey studying the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients in the UK [report]

Related:

Cancer Research UK Patients less likely to rate cancer care as ‘very good’ during pandemic

UKRI: Sponge-on-a-string cancer test rolled out in Scotland

UK Research and Innovation | July 2021 | Sponge-on-a-string cancer test rolled out in Scotland

Around 9,100 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer each year in the UK, and 22 patients with this diagnosis die every day. Now a treatment developed as result of decades of charitable funding and taxpayer support will be able to detect oseophageal cancer.

A new treatment using a cytosponge a small round sponge contained within a dissolvable capsule. It is attached to a -piece of string that is swallowed with water. The capsule dissolves in the stomach to expand into a sponge-like mesh which is 3cm wide. It is then pulled back up using the string, collecting cells on the way to be analysed for any abnormalities. This simple and inexpensive test can detect abnormal cells in the gullet, which may indicate a person is developing Barrett’s Oseophagus, or oesophageal cancer.

Unlike an endoscopy, the cytosponge does not require an invasive test, which is uncomfortable for the patient. It also only costs £25 and takes just 10 minutes to administer in a GP clinic without the need for a hospital visit.

Adapted from this UKRI news release Sponge-on-a-string cancer test rolled out in Scotland