A CANCER specialist at Oxford’s hospitals has welcomed the arrival of a new drug to support patients across the UK with advanced kidney cancer.
Dr Andrew Protheroe, professor of uro-oncology at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said freshly-approved treatment cabozantinib would make a ‘huge difference’ to the lives of patients with ‘no other options left’.
Cabozantinib, a once-daily oral tablet, was formally approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on Monday.
It targets pathways involved in tumour growth and has been shown to significantly extend overall survival.
Kidney cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the UK, with about 12,000 new cases diagnosed every year.
About 30 per cent of people diagnosed are already in the late or advanced stages of the disease
Dr Protheroe, a specialist in bladder, prostate, testicular and kidney cancer, said: “The improved survival and response rates of cabozantinib have and will make a huge difference to advanced kidney cancer patients who had previously been told there were no other effective treatment options left.
“This is a really positive step for kidney cancer patients across the UK and will hopefully make a big difference.”
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