Hundreds of blood cancer patients set to benefit from new take-at-home tablet
It's been described by patients as a game changer
Hundreds of blood cancer patients will now be offered a new treatment option which could provide an alternative to chemotherapy.
The take-at-home tablet is for patients in England with a form of blood cancer known as marginal zone lymphoma (MZL).
Zanubrutinib is the first ever treatment specifically licensed for this form of blood cancer, recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use on the NHS.
The health service thinks this treatment could benefit around 470 patients over the next three years.
Some patients can become resistant to current treatments, including chemotherapy, which can also cause patients serious nausea and discomfort.
Frank Burrows, 66, from North Somerset, who was diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma six years ago, said: “Having a drug like Zanubrutinib is a game-changer for people with marginal zone lymphoma and I’m delighted that it is now available on the NHS and gives people like me who are facing this cancer a whole new choice.
“The chemotherapy I had could knock the cancer all the way back, but it couldn’t cure it. You can go through chemotherapy two or three times but then your body can’t have any more and there is no further treatment available.
"It also puts a lot of strain on your immune system, and you can pick up all sorts of illnesses very quickly.
“I know that this drug gives me a treatment option if my cancer comes back and being able to take just the pill at home twice a day takes a lot of stress and anxiety out of the equation, compared to needing to go to hospital for treatment – it allows you to just get on with life.
"It’s amazing that this treatment is now available, and it is going to give hope and higher quality of life for people with marginal zonal lymphoma.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for cancer, said: “As the first treatment of its kind for this type of blood cancer, zanubrutinib 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, like Frank, 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.”
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE said: “We focus on getting the best care to people and improving their quality of life, so we are pleased to be able to recommend zanubrutinib for some people with marginal zone lymphoma.
“This is a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that can have a profound impact on quality of life, not just for people with the condition, but their families and carers as well.
“Evidence suggests that this treatment increases how long people have before their condition gets worse and increases how long they live compared with standard care. People with marginal zone lymphoma are typically diagnosed in their 70s, so there is a need for effective and safe treatment options that are convenient for them to take."
Dallas Pounds, Director of Services at Lymphoma Action, said: “This decision is particularly important for MZL patients, 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.”