More than 1,000 patients a year in England living with advanced bladder cancer can now access a breakthrough combination treatment on the NHS, offering double the survival rate compared to standard chemotherapy.
The new therapy, approved for NHS use from today, combines enfortumab vedotin, a targeted antibody drug, with pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy that helps the immune system fight cancer. Administered via IV infusion, the treatment is available to patients whose bladder cancer has spread or cannot be surgically removed.
Clinical trials showed that patients receiving the combination lived for over 2.5 years, compared to 1.5 years with chemotherapy. The treatment also kept cancer at bay for 1.5 years, more than double the duration achieved with traditional methods. Remarkably, nearly 30% of patients had no detectable cancer following treatment, compared to just 12.5% with chemotherapy.
Patients also experienced fewer side effects, thanks to the therapy’s selective targeting of cancer cells. This marks a major advance in treating metastatic bladder cancer, which is often resistant to chemotherapy and difficult to detect in early stages.
The treatment’s availability follows commercial agreements between NHS England, Astellas Pharma, and MSD UK, enabling NICE to approve the therapy as cost-effective.
This rollout is part of a wider NHS push to transform cancer care, following recent innovations including:
- Belantamab mafodotin for blood cancer
- Fast-tracked pembrolizumab for advanced womb cancer
- mRNA vaccine trials for head and neck cancers
NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, commented:
“This is one of the most hopeful advances in decades for people with bladder cancer who will now be offered a treatment that can almost double their chances of survival, helping thousands to live longer and giving them more precious moments with their loved ones.
“Bladder cancer is often difficult to treat once it has spread, but this new therapy is the first one in years to really help stop the disease in its tracks, and our rollout to NHS patients will make a huge difference to the lives of those affected and their families”.
With over 10,000 people diagnosed with bladder cancer annually in the UK, this new treatment offers hope of longer, healthier lives and reflects the NHS’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge therapies.
Patients are encouraged to speak with their oncology team about eligibility for the new treatment.
Image credit: iStock
