A man from Brighton has spoken out after the NHS agreed to offer a life-extending drug to more men with prostate cancer.
Currently only those with prostate cancer that has spread can get abiraterone in England. The treatment is a hormone therapy that blocks the production of testosterone anywhere in the body.
But NHS England has now said that men whose high-risk prostate cancer has not spread will also be able to receive the drug.
The decision is expected to affect about 2,000 men with a diagnosis in the past three months, if the drug offers clinical benefits, while a further 7,000 men a year could also be eligible.
Giles Turner, 65, from Brighton, had aggressive prostate cancer diagnosed in March 2023. He had to pay for his abiraterone treatment privately and is now in remission.
Mr Turner said: “Abiraterone saved my life and I didn’t even know about it until I heard about the research trial that proved how effective it is for men with high-risk prostate cancer like I had.
“When I asked my oncologist about it, he told me that abiraterone was available on the NHS in Scotland and Wales but not in England or Northern Ireland.
“I was shocked and angered that my postcode meant I was denied free access to a treatment that could halve my risk of dying and give me the best chance of a cure.”
Clinical trials found that about 86 per cent of men were alive after six years on abiraterone compared with 77 per cent on standard treatment (hormone therapy with or without radiotherapy).
Nick James from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London led the research that proved abiraterone was effective for men whose prostate cancer had not spread.
Professor James said: “This extension of abiraterone to men with newly diagnosed high-risk prostate cancer that has not spread yet is really good news for men in England.
“Our data from the Stampede trial shows that two years of abiraterone halves the risk of prostate cancer coming back and reduces risk of death by 40 per cent.
“In the next five years, almost 8,000 men will avoid the devastating news that their cancer has come back.
“Even for men whose cancer does recur, this treatment gives them more healthy years.
“Very importantly, our research also shows that the reduction in relapses will also save the NHS money in the long run as this will translate into financial savings as well as the big clinical benefit.”
The national clinical director for cancer at NHS England Peter Johnson said: “For thousands of men with prostate cancer, this treatment option could be life-changing by helping keep their cancer at bay for several years.”
Professor Johnson said: “The life-extending treatment available on the NHS within weeks will mean thousands of men can kick-start their year with the news that they will have a better chance of living longer and healthier lives.
“The NHS will continue to work hard to offer people the most effective and evidence-based treatments, with several new prostate cancer drugs rolled out over the last five years.”
Prostate Cancer UK, which has campaigned for wider access to the drug, said that it had calculated that, over the next five years, 3,000 men’s lives will be saved.
Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This decision is a momentous, life-saving victory for the thousands of men whose lives will now be saved.
“Until now, men in England have found themselves in an impossible situation.
“It’s terrifying to be told you’ve got a cancer that’s likely to spread – to then find out you can’t access the treatment that science has proven to be your best chance at surviving is completely devastating.
“We refused to accept this outcome for men and we didn’t stop until we changed it.”
