Northwood’s own Mount Vernon Cancer Centre has become the first in the country to treat a patient with a brand-new treatment for those with metastatic triple breast cancer, outside of clinical trials.
The new treatment, Trodelvy, is a biological therapy that uses an anti-cancer drug that uses an antibody that specifically targets cancer cells via a protein on their surfaces.
In tests, it’s been shown to significantly improve the survival rates of those with breast cancer and have limited options.
Triple negative breast cancer is a less common form of illness which has higher rates of appearing in women under the age of 40. As the cancer does not have receptors for hormones, it is notoriously difficult to treat.
Currently, Trodelvy has not been approved for regular use in the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). However, Mount Vernon’s oncology team submitted an urgent request to manufacturers Gilead, which received approval.
Carly Francis, 35, a cancer patient from Ruislip, Middlesex said: “I’m incredibly grateful to the team at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre who acted so quickly to enable me early access to this new treatment.”
“I have been through a lot of different treatments since my original diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer in March 2018. It has been incredibly tough. I now have very few and limited treatment options.
“I was aware of Trodelvy through my own research but knew it was not widely available in the NHS for some months. In my situation every day counts and early access to this new treatment has really given me some hope.”
Dr Amy Guppy, Consultant Medical Oncologist and joint chemotherapy lead at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre said: “Trodelvy has shown really exciting results in clinical trials, meaning patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer like Carly have a better chance of living longer and spending more time with their loved ones.
“We are delighted therefore to be able to offer this promising drug through Gilead’s early access scheme.”
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