NICE has today (25 June) published final draft guidance
recommending pembrolizumab, in combination with
chemoradiotherapy, as a
routine first-line treatment option for
adults with untreated locally advanced cervical
cancer marking a shift to earlier
use of the immunotherapy in the NHS.
Today's recommendation follows the agreement of a
commercial arrangement by the company and NHS England.
It means around 280 eligible patients in England
will have access to an
effective first-line treatment for locally
advanced cervical cancer. This is where the
cancer has spread to
the pelvic wall, the lower part of
the vagina
or nearby organs like the bladder
or rectum.
Pembrolizumab with chemoradiotherapy (external beam
radiation therapy followed by brachytherapy) has been shown
to extend how long people live and how long
they remain free from their cancer getting worse,
compared with chemoradiotherapy alone.
For patients facing a condition with a high disease burden and
significant impact on daily life, this offers an important
advance, with the potential to help people live longer and
delay their cancer worsening and increase the chance of
cure for this stage of locally
advanced cervical cancer.
The independent committee concluded that pembrolizumab in
combination with chemoradiotherapy represents a
cost-effective use of NHS resources. This means it delivers clear
clinical benefits for patients while providing value for money
for the NHS.
This recommendation will see pembrolizumab
used earlier in the disease pathway relative to
existing NICE recommendations for its use to treat
persistent, recurrent or metastatic cervical
cancer.
The committee also recognised that cervical cancer,
especially in the advanced
stages, has worse outcomes in
deprived groups. It concluded that pembrolizumab has
the potential to improve health inequalities and took
this into account in agreeing the
acceptable cost-effectiveness threshold for the
treatment.
The treatment will be made
available immediately through interim
funding via the Cancer Drugs Fund.
Notes to editors
1. The final draft guidance on pembrolizumab with
chemoradiotherapy for untreated high-risk locally advanced
cervical cancer is available on the NICE website at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/awaiting-development/gid-ta11215/documents
