Bladder cancer treatment doubling survival approved after Barts trial
A new treatment for bladder cancer, proven to double survival rates for people whose cancer has spread or cannot be removed by surgery, is now available on the NHS, offering hope to around 1,250 patients each year.
The treatment, trialled at Barts Health with many of our patients, works in two ways. One drug, enfortumab vedotin, attacks and kills cancer cells directly. The other, pembrolizumab, helps the immune system recognise and fight any cancer that remains. It is given through a drip.
Bladder cancer is often hard to treat once it spreads. Standard chemotherapy usually gives patients just over a year to live. In clinical trials involving 886 patients, this new treatment extended survival to over 2.5 years, compared with around 1.5 years with chemotherapy.
It also keeps the cancer under control for longer – on average 1.5 years, compared with just over six months with chemotherapy. Nearly 30% of patients had no detectable cancer after treatment, more than double the rate seen with standard chemotherapy. Patients also experienced fewer serious side effects.
The research was led by Professor Thomas Powles, a Barts Health consultant and Chair of the Barts Cancer Centre.
Powles said: "This treatment is a major step forward for people with advanced bladder cancer. At Barts Health, we’ve seen patients on this trial gain lasting benefit, bringing real hope to thousands facing this aggressive disease."
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, called it "one of the most hopeful advances in decades", which demonstrates that the NHS is "continuing to raise the bar in cancer care by embracing the latest innovation".
Martyn Hewett (pictured), 75, from Stratford, east London, received the treatment on a trial at Barts after surgery to remove his tumours failed.
He said: "I feel very, very lucky, because if I hadn't been on this trial, I imagine I would be dead by now.
"Immediately after the failed operation, I asked my doctor what the prognosis was, and he said most people in my position live for a year.
"Now, three and a half years later, here I am. I have extra years to see my grandson grow up – and maybe even be around to see him get married."
Bladder cancer affects more than 10,000 people in the UK each year. Common symptoms include blood in the urine, changes in urination habits such as needing to go more often, and pain or burning during urination.
NHS England is fast-tracking access to the treatment making it available for patients from today through its Cancer Drugs Fund, following a positive recommendation from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.
This story was featured across the media, including in the Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, and Sky News. Interviews with Matryn and Professor Powles were broadcast on Thursday 21 August and are available to watch back on the ITV News website.
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