Sarcoma UK has welcomed a decision last week by NHS Scotland to fund pazopanib, an oral treatment for adults with certain subtypes of advanced soft tissue sarcoma, following a proposal supported by the charity’s patient evidence.
The National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group (NCMAG), part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, has confirmed that pazopanib is supported for patients with selective subtypes of advanced soft tissue sarcoma who have already had chemotherapy for metastatic disease, or whose cancer has progressed within 12 months of earlier treatment. The decision follows a proposal from the Scottish Sarcoma Managed Clinical Network, with Sarcoma UK acting as patient group partner throughout the review.
Unlike current treatment options, which are given intravenously and often require hospital admission, pazopanib is taken as a tablet at home. For a rare cancer where patients frequently travel long distances to one of just five specialist centres in Scotland, that difference can be significant.
Sarcoma UK’s submission to NCMAG drew on interviews with patients who had experience of both pazopanib and standard chemotherapy. One patient described the toll of intravenous treatment as “the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” while another spoke of chemotherapy’s side effects rippling out “to everything.” Patients who had taken pazopanib are often able to continue working and maintaining daily life during treatment, something rarely possible on more intensive chemotherapy regimens.
Following the announcement, Dundee resident Shelagh Allison, who lost her husband, Terry, to a soft tissue sarcoma cancer in 2013, said: “Terry went through such a harsh course of chemotherapy in his fight against angiosarcoma, and I know how much that took out of him, physically and emotionally. Patients in Scotland now having the option of a tablet taken at home, rather than what Terry endured, is fantastic news to hear. No family should have to watch someone they love go through what we did without other options being available. Every new treatment that becomes available is a step forward, and I’m so glad this one will be there for patients and families who come after us.”
Richard Davidson, Chief Executive of Sarcoma UK, said: “This is a really welcome decision for people in Scotland living with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. Because sarcoma is so rare, patients are too often left behind when it comes to treatment access, and having a therapy that can be taken at home, without the disruption and side effects of intravenous chemotherapy, makes a genuine difference to quality of life.
“We’re proud to have supported this proposal with evidence directly from patients and families, and grateful to NCMAG and the Scottish Sarcoma Managed Clinical Network for recognising just how much this matters. Pazopanib won’t be right for everyone, but for those who can take it, it offers a real alternative to gruelling hospital-based chemotherapy. We hope it’s a sign of things to come for other underserved cancers like sarcoma.”
Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare cancer, with around 5,200 people diagnosed across the UK each year. Because so few targeted treatments exist, sarcoma has a five-year survival rate of just 61 per cent. Sarcoma UK has campaigned for greater access to treatments for this underserved patient group.
Pictured: Shelagh Allison with her husband Terry who died from angiosarcoma in 2013
