A drug denied to thousands of women with incurable breast cancer could increase survival time by more than a third, new research suggests.
Results from the latest trial found that Enhertu reduced the chances of terminal breast cancer growing or spreading by 38 percent compared to standard chemotherapy.
Charities and campaigners said the new findings add to a sense of “betrayal and disbelief” that they cannot get it on NHS England when it is available in Scotland.
This follows a decision by NICE in March to reject the “wonder drug” on cost grounds using new criteria that do not classify all terminal cancers as “serious”.
Women with HER2-low or ultra-low breast cancer lived without their cancer growing for an average of 13.2 months, compared with just 8.1 months among those who received chemotherapy.
Sophie Blake, 51, from Brighton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2020 before being told it had spread to other places, including her lungs and liver, in May 2022.
Sophie, pictured with her daughter Maya, 17, a music school student, said: “I want to see my daughter go to university, get married and have children. Enhertu could make that difference for women.”
Survival rates after 12 months were 87 percent versus 81.1 percent respectively, according to the study of nearly 900 women.
The trial, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, revealed that the equivalent of six in 10 patients responded to Enhertu’s treatment, twice as many as chemotherapy.
The findings build on previous studies that found the treatment improved overall survival rates by more than six months.
Patients said they were forced to spend their final months or years fighting for access to a drug available in 13 other European countries, as well as the United States and Canada.
Sophie Blake, 51, from Brighton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2020 before being told it had spread to other places, including her lungs and liver, in May 2022.
Although the former television presenter’s cancer is currently under control, this would be a last line of treatment if necessary.
She said: ‘This is further evidence of the precious extra time this treatment could give us.
‘When we are so limited with the options available, it is particularly devastating.
‘We know women in Scotland whose lives have changed, it’s not just an extension but also the quality of life.
‘For us, these wonderful drugs are everything. I want to see my daughter go to college, get married and have children. Enhertu could make that difference for women.
‘We are mothers, we are sisters, we are daughters, we are workers, we contribute to society, but we are old and our lives are not considered profitable.
‘The most frustrating thing is that we know it’s there, but they just don’t give it to us.
“When we should be enjoying the time we have left with our friends and family, it seems as if we have to spend it fighting for our right to life.”
Patients said they were forced to spend their final months or years fighting for access to a drug available in 13 other European countries, as well as the United States and Canada.
Known as trastuzumab deruxtecan, it is the first targeted treatment authorized for patients with a type of cancer, known as HER2-low, that cannot be removed surgically or that has spread.
While Enhertu has been authorized for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer in England, access has been denied to those with lower levels of the protein, despite results showing it is equally effective.
Around 1,000 women each year in England could benefit from the drug, which patients described as “the ultimate roll of the dice”.
Dr. Giuseppe Curiglian, a professor of medical oncology at the University of Milan and author of the latest findings, said the drug “could become the new standard of care” for the disease.
He said: “Participants who received trastuzumab deruxtecan lived longer without their disease progressing or causing death,” he said, adding that the trial showed for the first time benefits in patients with HER2-ultralow and in those who had never received chemotherapy. .
A Breast Cancer Now petition has more than 260,000 signatures asking for it to be made available to these women.
Dr Simon Vincent, director of research at Breast Cancer Now, said it was “completely unacceptable” that thousands of women were being “denied access”.
He said: ‘This promising study suggests that even more people could benefit from Enhertu.
“However, despite growing clinical data emerging about the clear benefit Enhertu could bring to patients, thousands of people with HER2-low secondary breast cancer are being denied access to Enhertu in the NHS in England.” , and this is absolutely unacceptable.”
“These people are desperately counting on NICE, NHS England, Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca to find a solution in their current discussions and urgently make this treatment available to them.”
A NICE spokesperson said it was “extremely disappointed” it could not recommend Enhertu for advanced HER2-low breast cancer due to cost reasons, adding it had “paused” the guidance.
Health officials said talks with Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca were continuing, but said in a meeting last month that the drug makers had raised the drug’s proposed price.
He said: “As we made clear during our oral evidence session before the recent Health Select Committee, a price that makes cost-effective use of NHS resources offered by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca could solve this problem almost immediately.
“This is the fastest and only guaranteed way to ensure women have access to this treatment without further delay.”
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Every year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the United States, it attacks 266,000 people each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a duct or lobe of one of the breasts.
When breast cancer has spread to surrounding tissue, it is called “invasive.” Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” where cancer cells have not grown beyond the duct or lobe.
Most cases develop in people over 50 years of age, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.
Staging tells how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
Cancer cells are graded from low, meaning slow growing, to high, meaning fast growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they are first treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor begins from an abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is believed that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to be abnormal and multiply “out of control.”
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are non-cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place breast cancer usually spreads is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs, you will develop a swelling or lump in your armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial evaluation: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may perform tests such as a mammogram, a special x-ray of breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If it is confirmed that you have breast cancer, more tests may be needed to evaluate whether it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver, or a chest x-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal treatment. A combination of two or more of these treatments is often used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: A treatment that uses high-energy radiation beams focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops them from dividing. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: Treatment of cancer using anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing.
- Hormonal treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the level of these hormones or stop them from working are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is the treatment?
The prognosis is better for those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgically removing a tumor at an early stage may offer a good chance of cure.
Routine mammography offered to women aged 50 to 70 means that more breast cancers are diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information, visit breastcancernow.org or call their free helpline on 0808 800 6000.