Newcastle cancer survivor welcomes new NHS drug
Women with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer will be offered a new drug on the NHS in England.
Nearly 12 women a day in the UK die from the disease.
Now, Olaparib, which helps to slow the cancers growth rate, will be available to patients with a BRCA gene mutation. Experts say affects around one in 400 women.
Shelley Hood from Newcastle told Metro Radio that her family carry the BRCA2 gene, which means breast cancer particularly is more common in the family.
They discovered it when Shelley’s older cousin, Lyn, had breast cancer four years ago.
Last year Shelley turned 30 and was diagnosed with breast cancer after being offered an early screening.
She’s now had a double mastectomy. Lyn, now 39, has had a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy as preventative surgery for ovarian cancer but Shelley says she is too young for that.
She hopes that new drugs like Olaparib will help protect women like her in the future. Shelley said:
“Everything that I’ve learnt over the past three of four months since I’ve been diagnosed with cancer is that the sooner you catch it the more treatable it is and that’s how people are saving lives, by doing research, by developing drugs and getting to it sooner.”
Patients will have already had to undergo three rounds of chemotherapy to be eligible for the drug.