Hundreds of people in England with a rare form of eye cancer are set to have access to a “pioneering” drug, the NHS has announced.
Following approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma can now be offered a drug called tebentafusp.
The cancer is thought to affect between 500 and 600 people in the UK each year, and develops from cells in the middle layer of the eye.
Once it has spread to major organs, the disease is almost always fatal, according to the NHS.
NICE announced on Tuesday that it has recommended tebentafusp – sold under the brand name Kimmtrak – for patients whose uveal melanoma cannot be removed with surgery, or has spread to other parts of the body.
They will need a blood test to determine if they have the genetic markers that make them suitable for the treatment. More than 100 people each year are expected to be eligible.
Joanne Foster, who was diagnosed with uveal melanoma in 2013, said she was offered tebentafusp last year through a compassionate access scheme after the cancer spread to her lungs and kidneys.
The 57-year-old from Newcastle said her disease is “both physically and mentally draining,” and added: “I’ve had my eye removed and ongoing treatment for over a decade, with the uncertainty of not knowing what is round the corner being incredibly difficult, particularly with no treatments available until now.
“The news that tebentafusp is now available for hundreds of current and future NHS patients just like me is the best early Christmas present I could’ve asked for.
“While I know it isn’t a long-term cure, it has shrunk the tumour on my kidney and stabilised my cancer in my lungs, which gives me precious time to spend with my family and loved ones.”
Image: Joanne Foster said uveal melanoma has been ‘both physically and mentally draining’. Pic: Joanne Foster/PA
The drug works by attaching to the proteins on the surface of cancer cells and T cells, a type of white blood cell
It helps the immune system recognise and kill cancer cells, slowing the growth of the disease.
According to NHS England, trials have shown the chance of surviving three years after starting tebentafusp is 27% compared with 18% on the current standard treatment checkpoint inhibitors.
Overall survival on tebentafusp was also 21.6 months, compared with 16.9 months.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “It is great news that the NHS can now offer this pioneering treatment, giving people an option that can extend their lives and offer them valuable extra time with their families and friends”.
Jo Gumbs, CEO and founder of Ocular Melanoma UK, said: “Today’s announcement that tebentafusp will be available for people with metastatic uveal melanoma is simply incredible.”
She added: “For too long, metastatic uveal melanoma has been a devastating cancer so we look forward to many more improvements in the future so every patient has access to the treatments they need.”
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