THE FOUNDER of an Oxfordshire bladder cancer charity has hailed the approval of a new treatment for the 'long-neglected' condition.

Andrew Winterbottom, who is also director of Fight Bladder Cancer, said the Chinnor- based organisation was 'absolutely delighted' with the news that pembrolizumab will be included within the cancer drugs fund (CDF) to treat urothelial cancer, which accounts for over 90 per cent of cases of bladder cancer.

He added: "It means urothelial cancer, a long-neglected and ignored cancer, finally has a new treatment option which could provide a step change in the patient’s options.”

Professor Thomas Powles, director of Barts Cancer Centre in London, explaining the significance of the recommendation, which was announced last week by The National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE), said outcomes for bladder cancer patients remain 'stubbornly poor'.

He added: "Pembrolizumab is the first immune check point inhibitor in this setting to show extended survival in this group of patients.

"This opens a new chapter in the treatment of bladder cancer. NICE's recommendation for pembrolizumab is a bright ray of light for patients with this difficult disease."

Inclusion in the CDF shows that NICE considers that pembrolizumab has potential to satisfy the criteria for routine use on the NHS for this group of bladder cancer patients but needs more investigation, through data collection in the NHS in clinical practice or from further research, before making a final decision on routine commissioning.

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