Major cancer breakthrough as NHS launches 5-minute ‘super-jab’ that can fight 15 different types of the disease
Thousands of NHS patients will be given fast-track access to a new cancer ‘super jab’ that can treat 15 types of the disease.
The under-the-skin injection, means people can receive their fortnightly or monthly immunotherapy treatment in under five minutes — which experts believe will herald a new era in fighting cancer.
Currently, the treatment known medically as nivolumab, can take up to an hour via an IV drip.
Officials also believe the roll-out could save over a year’s worth of treatment time for patients annually — which will see them spend less time in hospital while freeing up staff capacity.
It is estimated around 1,200 patients in England per month could benefit for cancers including skin, bowel, stomach, kidney, bladder and oesophagus.
Experts today said the groundbreaking jab was a ‘significant advancement’ in cancer care and would ‘transform lives’.
It comes amid a disturbing rise in cancers including skin and bowel in the under 50s, which has baffled doctors around the globe.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer, said: ‘Immunotherapy has already been a huge step forward for many NHS patients with cancer, and being able to offer it as an injection in minutes means we can make the process far more convenient.
The under-the-skin injection, means people can receive their fortnightly or monthly immunotherapy treatment in under five minutes. Currently, the treatment known medically as nivolumab (pictured), can take up to an hour via an IV drip
‘This treatment is used for 15 different types of the disease, so it will free up thousands of valuable clinicians’ time every year, allowing teams to treat even more patients and helping hospital capacity.
‘And this is just the latest development in the NHS’s ongoing commitment to provide patients with the latest cancer therapies and treatment options that truly transform lives.’
Ashley Dalton, the public health minister who announced earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time, added: ‘Britain is a hotbed of innovation, masterminding the newest tech and medical inventions to help people navigating illness.
‘A new jab that fastens up cancer treatment is a prime example of this, so it’s fantastic to see cancer patients in England will be among the first in Europe to benefit.
‘With cancer medicines getting better all the time, this government will ensure that NHS patients are among the first to access the latest treatments and technology.’
It comes after the UK medicines regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave the treatment the green light earlier today.
In clinical trials, patients were highly satisfied with the under-the-skin injection, which takes between three to five minutes to administer.
Results also showed that the injection produced comparable levels of drug in the body and similar side effects to the IV formulation.
Bowel cancer can cause you to have blood in your poo, a change in bowel habit, a lump inside your bowel which can cause an obstructions. Some people also suffer with weight loss a s a result of these symptoms
NHS cancer services are now preparing to treat the first patients with the new treatment next month when supplies of the product are received in the UK.
Around two in five patients who currently receive IV nivolumab, which is one of the most widely used cancer treatments, should be eligible for the new jab.
The faster treatment also comes at no extra cost to the NHS after an agreement with the manufacturer Bristol Myers Squibb.
James Richardson, Clinical Pharmacist and National Specialty Adviser for Cancer Drugs, said: ‘I am delighted that NHS patients across England will soon be able to benefit from this quicker-to-administer, effective treatment, that can be used to treat a range of cancer types, including skin cancer and solid tumours originating in the kidneys.
‘This is a significant advancement in cancer treatment, with the potential to improve the lives of thousands of patients each month.’
The move also comes just days after the health service announced thousands of adults with suspected cancer would be offered a new blood test to rapidly detect the killer disease as part of an NHS trial.
The test, developed by a team at the University of Southampton, uses AI to analyse blood samples for tiny fragments of genetic material from tumours to identify cancer present in the body.
It will be trialled on around 8,000 patients, looking for 12 of the most common types of cancer.
Signs of skin cancer range from innocuous to obvious, but experts warn that treating cases early is key to making sure they do not spread or further develop
These include bowel, lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, brain, oesophageal, bladder, gastric, and bone and soft tissue sarcoma.
There are around 44,000 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK and 142,000 in the US, making it the fourth most common cancer in both countries.
But cases are rising in young people, an alarming trend that experts have linked to modern diets, chemical exposure and lifestyles.
Cancer Research UK estimates that over half (54 per cent) of bowel cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
Meanwhile, around 15,000 Brits and 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer each year. It is the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
The incidence in Britain has risen faster than any other common cancer.
Increased UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds, has been blamed for the increase.
The disease occurs after the DNA in skin cells is damaged, triggering mutations that become cancerous.
Despite huge strides forward in treatment that has seen survival leap from less than 50 per cent to more than 90 per cent in the past decade, it still kills more than 2,000 people a year.
