Blood cancer survivor is ‘luckiest man alive’ as two new blood cancer treatments approved for use on NHS

Blood Cancer UK worked with the drug regulators, NICE to champion the needs of people with blood cancer, which led to this decision.

Leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are all forms of blood cancer and 280,000 people in the UK are living with or are in remission with blood cancer. While in recent years treatment options for many blood cancers have improved, it’s still the UK’s third largest cancer killer.

The first drug of the two drugs to be approved, lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi), is a CAR-T therapy for treating adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphomas after first-line chemotherapy when a stem cell transplant is suitable, a procedure which is determined by a healthcare professional and not solely on age.

A CAR-T, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is a modern treatment that uses the immune system to kill cancer cells. Breyanzi is designed as a one-time treatment, and is more convenient than current NHS treatments, meaning people can avoid multiple hospital visits and ‘cycles upon cycles’ of intensive chemotherapy regimens. This has positive knock-on effects on not only the burdens placed on them physically but also emotionally.

Christopher Strange, a 78-year-old retired inheritance tax lawyer from Horsham, West Sussex, was treated with the CAR-T therapy as part of a clinical trial and has been in long-term remission since. He shared his experience with NICE:
“I was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2017 and underwent six months of chemotherapy, which was successful, but my cancer returned after 15 months. My consultant was concerned about putting me through more chemotherapy. She told me, ‘We can try another round, but the side effects could be severe.’ The chemotherapy had already left me with little smell, and taste and made me partially deaf. Then she mentioned a CAR-T trial at UCL hospital. For me, it was a no-brainer—I still had too much to do.”

Chris went on to say:
“I’m the luckiest man alive to have been given this treatment. I had my own blood cells removed, modified, and reinfused in two vials. Four weeks in hospital, and then I was sent home. Gradually, I got better, and I’ve been in remission ever since. I’ve been so lucky. If I hadn’t been in the trial, a scan also wouldn’t have picked up an unrelated cancer on my kidney in time.

“I am now back to living the life I had hoped for. I’m using my chainsaw again, tending to my small flock of sheep, and have seen the birth of both my great-grandchildren. But what really hits me is thinking of the younger patients I met during chemotherapy. They had their whole lives ahead of them. I think of one young woman, about 30, starting her third round of chemo as I finished mine. I still wonder if this treatment could have saved her from going through it again. When I heard NICE had approved CAR-T for NHS use, I thought, ‘Thank God.’ The trial only helped a limited number of people now, anyone who qualifies can access it. This is a huge step forward. Give researchers the chance, and they’ll push the boundaries.”

Another drug also got the green light from NICE. Blinatumomab (Blincyto) with chemotherapy – a monoclonal antibody was approved for consolidation treatment in adults with Philadelphia-chromosome-negative CD19-postive B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (CD19+ Ph– B-Cell ALL) with no measurable residual disease.

Josh Hill, Policy Officer at Blood Cancer UK, said:
“In our UK-wide blood cancer action plan, we highlighted the life-limiting side effects of current treatment and that survival rates for blood cancer in the UK lag behind nations of similar wealth and health. Many of the existing treatments are extremely toxic to human cells, so we welcome this decision, which means there are more treatment options for people with blood cancer in England. Blood cancer is the UK’s third biggest cancer killer and it’s through research and investment, where we will create the platform for new treatment options. We must also continue to ensure those across the UK get access to new treatments so they too have the best chance of a positive outcome.”