The first targeted treatment on the NHS could be a ‘game-changer’ for hundreds of blood cancer patients.
Zanubrutinib is a take-at-home drug that has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to treat marginal zone lymphoma.
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Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England said that this is a ‘great step forward for patients whose disease has progressed during or following other treatments.
‘This is the latest example of our efforts to improve the lives of those facing cancer and will give patients another treatment option, which can be taken in the comfort of their own homes and help them live more normal lives, free from the harsh side-effects of chemotherapy.’
Around 2,600 people in the UK are diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma every year. It is a group of slow-growing non-Hodgkin lymphomas that develops when there is uncontrollable growth in B-cells, a type of white blood cell, which results in tumour development. The main symptom is small painless lumps in lymph nodes, and is often diagnosed at a more advanced stage, when it can lead to persistent tiredness and increased risk of infections.
Some patients can become resistant to current treatments, including chemotherapy, which can also cause serious nausea and discomfort.
Zanubrutinib belongs to a class of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which block the proteins from sending signals to the cancer cells to grow. This causes the cells to die which may help to stop or slow down the cancer. In NHS clinical trials, up to 80 per cent of patients’ cancers responded positively to treatment with zanubrutinib. The drug will be offered to patients whose cancer has not responded well to previous treatment and can be taken as capsules once or twice a day at home.
Dallas Pounds, director of services at Lymphoma Action, said: ‘This decision is particularly important for patients with marginal zone lymphoma, whose only treatment options until now were chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Providing access to an oral therapy is more convenient for many people and offers an additional treatment option for the significant number of patients who relapse.’