London, Apr 24 (PTI) The National Health Service (NHS) in England on Wednesday announced the rollout of a targeted treatment for brain tumours in children and young people, which can be taken at home and has been shown to significantly slow the progression of the disease.
Dabrafenib with trametinib has been found to stop the disease progressing for more than three times as long as standard chemotherapy for children with low-grade gliomas that have a specific genetic mutation, while sparing them the harsh side effects of chemotherapy.
An Indian-origin woman who lost her eight-year-old son Raj to a high-grade glioma in 2018 welcomed the “kinder” new treatment being approved for use by the NHS.
“Many years ago, I had to make the decision to stop chemotherapy treatment for my son as he was suffering with horrible side effects after years of harsh treatment. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make as it was a clear sign we were running out of options, and it was likely I would lose him,” said Suki Sandhu, who is a Trustee of the UK’s Brain Tumour Charity.
“We need kinder drugs and new treatments for those with brain tumours like this treatment and I am hopeful other families will go on to get access to these drugs and, hopefully, remain disease-free for longer and live good quality lives,” she said.
Gliomas grow in the brain or spinal cord and can be low-grade, where tumours grow slowly, or high-grade, where they grow more rapidly and can often be fatal. Around 150 children are diagnosed with low grade gliomas every year in the UK and around 30 are diagnosed with high grade gliomas – and up to one-fifth have a mutation in their BRAF gene which makes the tumours more resistant to chemotherapy.
The new treatment will be available on the NHS in the coming months for young people aged between one and 17 years with low-grade or high-grade gliomas that have a BRAF V600E mutation, following a green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – which approves treatments for the state-funded NHS.
“Diagnosis of a glioma brain tumour, which is often fatal for people with advanced high-grade glioma, can have a devastating impact on children and their families. Treatment options are limited, and we know they can be brutal,” said Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE.
“I am pleased we can recommend this new combination therapy that can give children longer without their tumour growing and offers them and their families a better quality of life,” she said.
The combination treatment, which is given at home rather than in hospital, works by targeting the proteins made by the altered BRAF gene that are responsible for uncontrollable tumour growth. Clinical trials have shown that as well having fewer side-effects than chemotherapy, the treatment stalled growth of low-grade gliomas for around two years (24.9 months) on average – over three times as long as standard chemotherapy (7.2 months).
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, added: “It is fantastic news that this new and kinder precision treatment for children and young people with this type of brain tumour will now be available on the NHS – it is a significant step forward in treatment that has been shown to be easier to take than chemotherapy and very effective in blocking the growth of the disease, helping children have a better quality of life for longer.
“It can also be taken at home, meaning children and teenagers can spend less time in hospital having treatment and more time with their loved ones and doing things they enjoy.” PTI AK SCY SCY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.