- Around 6,000 people in England get multiple myeloma each year
- Bone cancer causes weak bones that break easily and blurred vision.
Bone marrow cancer patients will now be able to receive life-prolonging treatment after NHS spending chiefs reversed their decision not to fund it.
The treatment, a combination of three drugs, will be offered to patients with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that affects the spongy tissue inside bones.
The condition causes weak bones that can break easily, as well as blurred vision, dizziness and extreme thirst caused by high levels of calcium in the blood.
Multiple myeloma, which currently has no cure, affects several areas of the body at once, including the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs, and affects around 6,000 people in England each year.
Figures from Cancer Research UK show that only a third of patients survive with this debilitating disease for a decade.
Around 6,000 people in England get multiple myeloma each year, pictured, which currently cannot be cured.
Young patients with multiple myeloma are usually offered a stem cell transplant, which can keep the cancer at bay for several years.
Young patients with multiple myeloma are usually offered a stem cell transplant, which can keep the cancer at bay for several years.
Stem cells are created in the bone marrow and are crucial for the body to function.
Treatment involves high doses of chemotherapy and then replacing the stem cells damaged by the chemotherapy. However, older patients are usually not eligible, as the procedure is intensive and can be dangerous for those who are no longer well.
However, this means that approximately two-thirds of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients cannot receive a transplant, leaving them with few options.
In November 2022, a trial showed that offering patients who were not eligible for a stem cell transplant a combination of three powerful drugs (daratumumab, lenalidomide and dexamethasone) kept their cancer under control for two years longer compared to those who They did not receive the treatment. The researchers concluded that this meant that patients would probably also live longer, although final figures on how long the treatment prolongs life have not yet been published.
In February, NICE rejected the drug combination because it did not believe it would be cost-effective. Now, seven months later, it has changed its decision and will fund treatment for all newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are deemed ineligible for a stem cell transplant.
Shelagh McKinlay, director of research and advocacy at the charity Myeloma UK, said: “Now, at last, patients will be able to benefit from a treatment that could prolong their lives and give them precious time with their loved ones.”
