Patients with an incurable form of blood cancer will live longer and healthier lives thanks to home treatment with three drugs.
NHS spending watchdogs last week approved a combination of drugs to fight a form of the disease called multiple myeloma. It is given to those who have not responded to other treatments.
Experts say the new combination of drugs is more convenient for patients because it comes in the form of pills that can be taken without medical supervision.
Patients should take a maximum of three tablets per day.
NHS spending watchdogs last week approved a combination of drugs to fight a form of the disease called multiple myeloma (pictured).
Every year almost 6,000 Britons are diagnosed with multiple myeloma and 1,500 die from it.
The disease affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow.
The first symptoms are often persistent leg pain, usually in the back, ribs or hips, as well as weight loss, repeated infections, shortness of breath and fatigue.
The disease can be slowed with treatment, but most cases cannot be cured.
Only a third of patients with multiple myeloma survive ten years or more after diagnosis. Patients usually receive chemotherapy first, sometimes in addition to drugs that can kill the cancer cells. However, in many cases these treatments do not slow the progression of the cancer.
Experts say that there are currently very few effective drugs for these patients.
Experts say the new combination of drugs is more convenient for patients because it comes in the form of pills that can be taken without medical supervision (file photo).
The new treatment, a combination of the drugs ixazomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone, disrupts the growth of cancer cells and slows the progression of the disease.
Studies show that the drugs can increase survival by 10 months and extend the time that patients in remission are cancer-free by about six months. Patients will take the pills until they stop working.
Around 1,000 Britons are expected to benefit from the treatment each year.
Shelagh McKinlay, director of research and advocacy at the charity Myeloma UK, described the treatment as “groundbreaking”.
She says: “This not only increases the average survival time and prolongs remission, but it also gives patients something they could only dream of a few years ago: a life that does not revolve around weekly hospital appointments.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
