Thousands of people living with advanced bladder cancer now have access to groundbreaking therapies of the NHS, which have been shown to double their survival rates and dramatically improve outcomes.
Welcome as the most important advance in decades, new bladder cancer treatment combines two cutting-edge drugs that work together to attack cancer cells more effectively than traditional chemotherapy, providing fresh hope for patients facing one of the most challenging cancers to treat.
Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director of Cancer at NHS England, believes that treatment will revolutionize bladder cancer care.
“Bladder cancer is often difficult to treat after it has spread, but this new treatment is the first therapy in years that has really helped stop the illness on its trajectory, and the development of NHS patients makes a huge difference in the lives of those affected and their families.”
Bladder cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to manage, with over 10,000 new cases being diagnosed each year in the UK.
Its early stages can often be asymptomatic. In other words, many patients are only diagnosed after the disease has already progressed.
Spreading beyond the bladder makes it aggressive and resistant to traditional treatments, and new approaches become essential.
How bladder cancer therapy works
Bladder cancer treatment combines two powerful drugs (Enfortumab Vedotin and Pembrolizumab) to launch a double attack on the disease.
Enfortumab Vedotin directly targets and destroys cancer cells, while the immunotherapeutic drug pembrolizumab strengthens the body’s immune system in search of and attacks remaining cancers.
This treatment, administered via intravenous infusion, is intended for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body or is considered inoperable.
Extend your life beyond chemotherapy
For decades, people with metastatic bladder cancer have faced limited options, with chemotherapy offering only a small benefit and a median survival time of more than a year.
New treatments will significantly change the outlook. Clinical data reveal that patients lived in the average of 2.5 years at the time of receiving combination treatment compared to 5 years.
Not only did overall survival improve, but the time before cancer returned or worsened has more than doubled, extending it from six to 18 months.
Furthermore, nearly 30% of patients showed no detectable signs of cancer following treatment, compared with only 12.5% of those receiving chemotherapy.
Improving the quality of life of patients
Traditional chemotherapy is often associated with harsh side effects such as severe nausea, fatigue, and immunosuppression.
New bladder cancer treatments offer a more targeted approach, reduce damage to healthy cells and reduce patient complications.
This selective targeting is welcomed as a game changer to help patients maintain a better quality of life during their treatment journey.
“If I hadn’t been in this trial, I think I would have been dead by now.”
Martyn Hewett, 75, from Stratford, East London, participated in a clinical trial at the Barts Health NHS Trust, receiving combination therapy after surgery to remove the tumor.
He explained how treatment changed his life.
“Immediately after the failed surgery, I asked the doctor what the prognosis was. He says that most people in your position have lived for a year.
“I’m going to spend a few extra years watching my grandchild grow up, and maybe there’s one to see him get married.”
Gives access to treatment
This pioneering therapy development was made possible through a commercial agreement between NHS England and pharmaceutical manufacturers Astellas Pharma and MSD UK.
This collaboration allowed the National Institutes of Health to classify treatments as cost-effective and make them widely available in the NHS.
The approval of this combination therapy is the latest in a series of NHS-led innovations in cancer treatment.
Recent initiatives include the introduction of verantamabmaphodotin for blood cancers, fast tracking pembrolizumab for advanced uterine cancer, and the launch of mRNA vaccine trials for head and neck cancer.
Collectively, these efforts highlight the shift towards precision medicine and immunotherapy as a future in cancer treatment.
Jeannie Rigby, CEO of Action Bladder Cancer UK, added:
“This new treatment can increase the longevity of people having patients before cancer gets worse, and how much time they spend compared to current treatments available, but it will improve the quality of life with fewer side effects.”
A new era of hope
For patients and families facing the uncertainty of advanced bladder cancer, the arrival of this new treatment represents a powerful step.
By significantly expanding survival and providing opportunities for remission with fewer side effects, this treatment offers a level of hope that was unimaginable several years ago.
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