Today’s announcement that a drug called Abemaciclib has been approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use for some patients with breast cancer is good news.
The drug is suitable for women with high-risk oestrogen responsive (HR-positive), HER2-negative breast cancers that have at least 4 involved axillary lymph nodes, or 1-3 involved nodes and at least one of the following criteria: tumour size at least 5 cm or histological grade 3.
Each NHS hospital now needs to do some work to make sure that the medication is delivered safely and efficiently to all patients who are eligible. This process has already begun at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and we will begin to deliver this treatment as quickly as we can.
Our specialist breast cancer oncologists will discuss it with eligible patients as soon as the treatment is available at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.