NHS approves breakthrough bladder cancer treatment that can double survival rates
More than 1,000 bladder cancer patients a year can now access an NHS treatment shown in trials to double survival compared with standard chemotherapy.
The combination therapy, available from today, has been described as “one of the most hopeful advances in decades” for people with the disease.
Around 1,250 patients in England each year could be offered the therapy, which significantly increases both survival and remission rates.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said: “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.”
In clinical trials, patients with metastatic bladder cancer – when the cancer spreads to other organs – lived up to twice as long with the antibody-based treatment compared with chemotherapy alone.
The combination uses enfortumab vedotin, which attaches to and destroys cancer cells, alongside pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy that helps the immune system target remaining cancer cells.
It is delivered through an intravenous (IV) infusion for patients whose cancer has spread or cannot be removed surgically.
Standard chemotherapy offers people with metastatic bladder cancer just over a year of life expectancy. The new approach increased this from around 1.5 years with chemotherapy to more than 2.5 years.
The length of time before the cancer returned also more than doubled – from just over 6 months to about 1.5 years.
Additionally, nearly 30 per cent of patients had no detectable cancer after treatment with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab, compared with 12.5 per cent given chemotherapy. Patients also experienced fewer harmful side effects with the combination treatment, thanks to its selective targeting of the cancer.
More than 10,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year in the UK. The condition can be hard to treat as it may show no symptoms in its early stages – and once it spreads, it often becomes aggressive and more resistant to treatment.
The treatment has been approved following commercial agreements by NHS England with manufacturers Astellas Pharma and MSD UK, allowing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to deem it cost-effective.
The rollout follows other NHS cancer innovations, such as adopting belantamab mafodotin for blood cancer, fast-tracking pembrolizumab for advanced womb cancer, and launching mRNA vaccine trials for head and neck cancers.
Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: “For people with cancer, every moment matters.
“This breakthrough treatment will give people precious extra time with their families. This is exactly what modern healthcare looks like – saving lives by providing access to the best support available.
“Through our Plan for Change, we’re turning the tide after years of cancer services being run into the ground and delivering the world class treatments people deserve, that will create an NHS fit for the future.”
Jeannie Rigby, chief executive of Action Bladder Cancer UK, added: “ABC UK, bladder cancer patients and their families welcome this effective, and much-needed, alternative treatment. This new treatment can increase how long people have before their cancer gets worse and how long they live compared with current treatments available – while also providing a better quality of life with less adverse side effects.”
