Thousands of women across England and Wales are being denied access to a potentially life-saving breast cancer drug that has been shown to reduce the risk of advanced cancer spreading by over a third. The revolutionary medication, Enhertu, is available to patients with HER2-low breast cancer in Scotland and Northern Ireland, yet in a contentious decision, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not approved its use in England or Wales. According to The Guardian , there's compelling evidence indicating that trastuzumab deruxtecan, the drug's full name, can prolong life and delay disease progression.
New "really exciting" data presented at the world's largest cancer conference suggests that Enhertu could be even more beneficial than previously believed. A recent study found that the drug can halt tumour growth for over a year, significantly longer than standard chemotherapy. READ MORE: I was diagnosed with breast cancer and went from a G to a C cup with surgery Studies have also demonstrated that Enhertu slashes the risk of cancer growth or spread in patients with HER2-low breast cancer (a type of growth hormone found in some tumours) by 38 percent.
Following these trial results, there is an anticipation that NICE will be urged to sanction the drug's use for patients in England and Wales. All invasive forms of breast cancer in the country are routinely tested for the specific HER2 hormone, and charity Breast Cancer Now indicates that around 50 per cent .
