Scientists hail cancer drug advance

The treatment aids non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Thousands of cancer patients who do not respond to standard chemotherapy could benefit from the latest anti-cancer drugs, a study suggests.

Research carried out in the US has found patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma respond positively to the drug Zevalin.

Scientists found the medication can kill off tumours that do not respond to standard treatments, including chemotherapy.

These new treatments remain difficult to access within the NHS due to their expense

Prof Martin Dyer, Leicester Royal Infirmary

The drug belongs to a new class of immunoradiotherapy pharmaceuticals which combine treatment with antibodies and radiation.

The 143 patients involved in the study all had B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that had previously failed to respond to standard chemotherapy.

Tumour shrinkage

Tumour shrinkage was seen in 80% of the patients who received Zevalin compared with 56% given another advanced drug, Rituxan.

However, 30% of patients who had received Zevalin lost signs of cancer.

Only 16% of those treated with Rituxan achieved complete remission.

The drug works as a double-edged sword. Its antibodies home in on the tumours, and also carry radioactive labels which kill off the cancerous cells.

Dr Thomas Witzig, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who helped conduct the study, said: "Unlike chemotherapy, which goes through the whole body, Zevalin carries the radiation payload directly to the tumour.

"The drug radiates only about a five millimetre area around the tumour."

He said because the drug was so much easier on the body than standard chemotherapy, the treatment could be given on an outpatient basis.

Dr Witzig added: "There's no hair loss or prolonged fatigue, nausea or vomiting. The most significant side effect is a temporary decrease in blood count."

NHS access

Professor Martin Dyer, from Leicester Royal Infirmary, said it was unlikely the treatment would be available on the NHS any time soon.

"Advances in both diagnosis and therapy are heralding a new era in the way in which these diseases are managed. Lymphoma-specific therapy avoiding the side effects of regular chemotherapy is becoming a reality.

"However, these new treatments remain difficult to access within the NHS due to their expense. Furthermore, so-called `postcode prescribing' means that certain areas of the country have had unequal access compared to others."

Professor Dyer was speaking at the start of Lymphatic Cancer Awareness week launched jointly by the Lymphoma Association and the Leukaemia Research Fund.

Alan Bartle, chief executive of the Lymphoma Association, said: "We feel very strongly that patients, who are already suffering from a serious and potentially life-threatening illness, should not be further disadvantaged in terms of having access to support as well as to proven therapies."

About 30,000 people currently live with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the UK. About 15,000 have Hodgkin's disease, another lymphatic cancer.

Incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is currently rising by 3-4% a year in Britain. It is the third fastest growing form of cancer after skin melanoma and lung.

About 50% of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survive at least five years - the standard criteria for being free of cancer. The five-year survival rate for Hodgkin's disease is about 80%.