Oxfordshire woman with incurable breast cancer worries she won’t receive life-extending treatment
She says, "you can't put a price on life"
A woman from Oxfordshire with incurable breast cancer is urging the Government to scrap NHS spending restraints, which could allow her to receive vital treatment.
It’s after it emerged that the life-extending drug Enhertu will not be made available for women with incurable breast cancer on the NHS in England and Wales.
The Government say, “the manufacturers of Enhertu are unwilling to sell this life-extending treatment to the NHS at a fair and reasonable price”.
Paula Van Santen, 50, was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in July 2022, two months after her diagnosis of primary breast cancer.
The mother-of-three, from Banbury, said: "Secondary breast cancer has changed the lives of both myself and my family beyond belief. Coming to terms with my diagnosis is the hardest part because I've had to grieve for the life I had, but also the life that I'm not going to have.
"If a new drug can give me another six months, if it gives me another year, it's worth it.
"It could allow me to see my daughter get to 21, see my children get married or meet grandchildren. Just to have a picture with a grandchild so they would know that I existed would be so precious. That's what this could give."
Meanwhile, a charity warns thousands of women with advanced breast cancer could be denied life-extending drugs because of the "unfair" way they are assessed for use on the health service.
Breast Cancer Now has demanded "immediate action" from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, urging him to scrap spending restraints.
They are also calling for the NHS spending watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) to lower the bar for what it classes as a very severe health condition.
Nice's severity modifier, introduced in 2022, gives treatment for more severe illnesses more weight, meaning the health benefits of certain drugs are valued more highly and more likely to be recommended for NHS use.
According to Nice, the process raises the threshold for what it considers to be a cost-effective treatment, meaning it can give more expensive drugs the green light.
However, a new report from Breast Cancer Now claims the system means women with incurable breast cancer with months to live may be told their condition does not qualify for the most severe rating.
In November, Nice said talks with manufacturers AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo over the price of the medication had broken down for the third time with no agreement.
Claire Rowney, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: "The terrifying reality is that unless urgent action is taken thousands of women in the UK with incurable secondary breast cancer could be denied access to vital life-extending treatments because of an unfair system.
"We're talking about patients missing out on access to cutting-edge, effective treatments that could give them more time to be there for special moments such as birthdays or seeing their children or grandchildren start school.
"Treatments, such as Enhertu, that patients in other countries, including Scotland, can access, giving them the chance to live longer.
"Women with secondary breast cancer tell us they feel their lives are being deprioritised by the changes to the system.
"We will not stand by and witness more drugs being rejected or not taken forward, when the devastating cost is thousands more people with secondary breast cancer across England, Wales and Northern Ireland having their lives cut short."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "More people are now able to access the NHS-funded treatments they need – including for advanced cancer – thanks to updated assessment methods from NICE that are resulting in a higher approval rate for medicines.
“Our 10 Year Health Plan will transform the NHS and improve care for those facing cancer. This includes rolling out DIY screening kits for cervical cancer, more radiotherapy machines in every region and opening more Community Diagnostic Centres closer to where people live.
“We know how disappointing it is to many families that the manufacturers of Enhertu are unwilling to sell this life-extending treatment to the NHS at a fair and reasonable price. Our door remains open to supporting the introduction of medicines at a cost-effective price.”