Decision on cancer drug is welcomed

THOUSANDS more men with prostate cancer will be eligible for a life-extending drug on the NHS.

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Currently only those with prostate cancer that has spread can get abiraterone, a hormone therapy that works by blocking the production of testosterone anywhere in the body.

However, NHS England has announced that men whose high-risk prostate cancer has not spread will also be able to receive the drug.

It said around 2,000 of these men diagnosed in the last three months will get the drug if it is of clinical benefit, while a further 7,000 men each year are also likely to be eligible.

Clinical trials show that the proportion of men alive after six years on abiraterone is 86% compared to 77% on standard treatment (hormone therapy with or without radiotherapy).

Professor Nick James from the Institute of Cancer Research in London led the research that proved abiraterone is effective for men whose prostate cancer has not spread.