Latest news with #endometrial cancer
Medscape
5 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
New NHS Drug Option for Advanced Endometrial Cancer
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a combination treatment for advanced endometrial cancer, calling it a 'major step forward'. The final draft guidance allows pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck Sharp & Dohme) to be used alongside carboplatin and paclitaxel within its marketing authorisation on the NHS. It applies to adults with previously untreated primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. Treatment should stop after 2 years, or earlier if there is disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, NICE said. First-Line Immunotherapy This is the first time immunotherapy has been combined with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for this type of cancer. Around 2100 people in England could benefit, the regulator said. The approval overturns NICE's earlier rejection in March, when it found insufficient evidence that the drug combination offered value for money. At the time, it recommended against its use in adults with previously untreated primary, advanced, or recurrent disease. Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK, with almost 10,000 people diagnosed each year. Only 15% of people diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer survive for 5 years or more. People with untreated primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer usually have platinum-based chemotherapy, such as the combination carboplatin and paclitaxel. Trial Evidence Showed Reduced Mortality Risk NICE's updated decision was based on evidence from the KEYNOTE-868 study, an ongoing multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. It is comparing the combination of pembrolizumab with chemotherapy, followed by pembrolizumab maintenance, against chemotherapy alone followed by placebo. NICE said that adding pembrolizumab to chemotherapy reduced the risk of death by 26% compared with chemotherapy alone. Trial data also suggest the treatment slows disease progression, although the effect on overall survival remains uncertain as the trial continues. 'Powerful' New Treatment Option Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that acts as an immune checkpoint inhibitor. It is administered intravenously and blocks the PD-1 protein on the surface of T cells, allowing them to identify and attack cancer cells. 'For people with advanced endometrial cancer, this innovative combination offers a powerful new treatment option,' said Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE. 'It marks a major step forward,' she added. The treatment will be available immediately through England's Cancer Drugs Fund, following a commercial deal that provides the NHS with a discount. Helen Hyndman, the Eve Appeal's Ask Eve lead nurse, told Medscape News UK that NICE's recommendation was 'great news' and would 'offer hope, a better quality of life, and improve outcomes for those affected'.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Women with advanced cancer get fresh hope as new treatment approved on NHS
Thousands of women battling an advanced form of womb cancer have been offered renewed hope after a new treatment was approved for widespread use on the NHS. Currently, just 15 per cent of women diagnosed with advanced (stage four) endometrial cancer – which typically originates in the lining of the womb – survive for five years. The treatment, known as pembrolizumab, has been shown to slow cancer growth and significantly improve survival odds, health officials said. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) estimates that approximately 2,100 women across England will benefit from the therapy each year. Nice hailed its approval as a "major step forward" in the treatment of the cancer. The treatment, also known as Keytruda and made by Merck Sharp and Dohme, is an immunotherapy drug and is delivered in a drip alongside chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel. It can be given for up to two years. Nice said that clinical trials show the combination of treatments reduced the risk of death by 26 per cent compared to chemotherapy alone. The treatments can also slow down cancer progression, it added. 'For people with advanced endometrial cancer, this innovative combination offers a powerful new treatment option,' said Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice. 'It marks a major step forward, and we're pleased to recommend it as part of our commitment to getting the best care to people, fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.' Around 9,700 women are diagnosed with endometrial cancer each year, Nice said, making it the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK. Helen Hyndman, lead nurse at the charity Eve Appeal's information service Ask Eve, said: 'Primary advanced or recurrent womb (endometrial) cancer has a huge impact on the quality of life for those diagnosed. 'It is great news that this new treatment has been approved. 'It will offer hope, a better quality of life and improve outcomes for those affected.' Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said: 'Getting this treatment to many more NHS patients as quickly as possible will help thousands of women live longer, allowing them to spend more time with loved ones and give them a better quality of life. 'Thanks to the NHS's Cancer Drugs Fund, it is now being fast-tracked into routine use, with treatment available to more patients from today.'
