The NHS will roll out a new immunotherapy that could offer women
with advanced endometrial cancer significant extra time before
their disease progresses, compared with standard chemotherapy
alone.
Trials have shown that adding dostarlimab (Jemperli) to
chemotherapy can slow the spread of certain forms of endometrial
cancer, giving patients the hope of more time to live well before
their condition worsens.
The NHS will begin offering the treatment as of today (Tuesday 5
March), following approval by the National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence (NICE), and it is estimated that around
150-200 women living with advanced primary or recurrent
endometrial cancer will be eligible each year.
Clinical trials showed that nearly two thirds (64%) of patients
treated with dostarlimab alongside standard chemotherapy had not
seen their cancer progress after 12 months of treatment, more
than twice the rate seen in patients treated with chemotherapy
alone (24%).
The NHS has fast-tracked the promising treatment through its
Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), enabling NHS patients to have faster
access while further evidence about the long-term benefits is
collected, to inform whether dostarlimab could be made available
for routine use in the future.
Dostarlimab is a type of immunotherapy known as a ‘checkpoint
inhibitor’, which works by attaching to a specific protein
(PD-L1) on the surface of the cancer cells, helping the body’s
immune system to detect and attack them.
The treatment will be offered to women whose advanced or
recurrent endometrial cancer has certain genetic profiles known
as high microsatellite instability (MSI) or mismatch repair
deficiency (dMMR), which are present in around a quarter of womb
cancers.
The immunotherapy treatment is given intravenously every three
weeks alongside chemotherapy for six cycles. In patients whose
cancers have responded to the treatment, dostarlimab is then
continued every six weeks for up to three years.
Womb cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in the
UK – with around 9,400 women diagnosed with womb cancer every
year. Endometrial cancer is the most common type of womb cancer,
and while it often has a better prognosis than other womb cancers
if diagnosed early, advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma
can be challenging to treat with short survival times.
Sue Woodburn, 65, from Kirkby Lonsdale, living with
recurrent womb cancer, said: "It’s hard to stay positive
when you’re running out of options and living with cancer is
taking its toll on your mental health. Dostarlimab has made a big
difference for me. It has helped me to stay positive and hopeful
that I will have a decent quality of life for a good few years
yet.
“Dostarlimab allows me to have a treatment without the brutal
side effects. It’s a treatment that doesn’t take over my life,
that enables me to plan for the future. And it gives me belief
that I might see my granddaughter start school. Now I’ve finished
the chemo, I feel nearly back to normal. I’ve been able to travel
– and have just come back from Rome. I am back biking, playing
tennis and skiing – when I actually thought I would be dead by
now.
“I feel so fortunate to have received this treatment – it has
given me hope for the future. Cancer patients like me need hope.”
Professor Peter Clark, NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund
Lead, said: “The roll out of this drug as a first-line
treatment on the NHS is great news for patients living with this
type of womb cancer – this new immunotherapy could offer hundreds
of women the hope of precious extra time to live well before
their cancer progresses.
“The NHS has fast-tracked this innovative treatment through the
Cancer Drugs Fund and we’re delighted that dostarlimab today
becomes the latest in a long list of cutting-edge treatments
available on the NHS to help people with cancer live well with a
better quality of life.”
The announcement comes less than a year after the NHS rolled out
a life-extending combination therapy of pembrolizumab (Keytruda®)
and lenvatinib (Lenvima®) for advanced womb cancer in women who
have previously received chemotherapy.
Dr Chloe Barr, Trustee and Advocacy Lead at Peaches Womb
Cancer Trust, said: “This new treatment for primary
advanced or recurrent mismatch repair deficient endometrial
cancer will provide options for patients currently facing the
frightening reality of very few effective anti-cancer treatments.
“Today’s decision is very welcome news, and we hope that this is
just the first step towards wider availability of more effective
first-line treatment options for those affected by this
devastating cancer.
“Peaches Womb Cancer Trust supported the NICE appraisal, and we
could not have done so without the contributions of Peaches
Patient Voices, a group of people affected by womb cancer whose
powerful testimonies and experiences informed our submission to
the appraisal process.”
Jack Harris, Vice-President UK Oncology, GSK “At
GSK, we are proud to have worked alongside NHS England and NICE
to advance cancer care in England and deliver innovation to those
who need it. Today’s news is yet another example of our
unwavering commitment in collaborating with organisations towards
our common desire to ultimately improve the lives of people
affected by cancer.”
