Left: Dr James Larkin was involved in the trials for two melanoma drugs at The Royal Marsden. Below: drug triallists Sandra Sayce and Allan Bennett
Hospital News
Advanced skin cancer drugs get NHS go-ahead he National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended two drugs trialled at The Royal Marsden – vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) – as NHS treatment options for metastatic melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. The two drugs work differently. Vemurafenib blocks the effects of BRAF, a cancer-causing mutated gene. Half of patients with metastatic melanoma will have this mutation, which drives the cancer’s development. The second drug, ipilimumab, harnesses the power of the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Dr James Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist, led the vemurafenib trial and was
T
involved with the ipilimumab trial at The Royal Marsden. He said: “The results of these two trials represent the biggest breakthrough in the treatment of melanoma for more than 30 years. The clinical trials have shown a very significant prolongation of life.” Allan Bennett, 74, from Devon, has been taking vemurafenib for more than a year. “When I arrived at The Royal Marsden to take part in the trial, virtually every treatment option had been tried by my local hospital, and my last round of chemotherapy hadn’t worked at all,” he said. “I was told there was nothing more that could be done for me, but within the first two months of taking the drug, some nasty swellings on my neck had
dramatically reduced and the cancer that had spread to my lungs had almost disappeared. “The disease was stable. I was amazed,” Allan added. “This drug has given me at least an extra year of life, and I feel as though I could go on indefinitely.” Sandra Sayce, 49, from Ruislip, was first diagnosed with malignant melanoma in October 2001. “By 2005, more lesions had appeared on my legs and eventually they spread to my lungs, liver, lymph nodes and spleen,” she said. “In 2006, I was told that the treatment was not working and that I probably had four months to live. I had a choice – palliative care or to try one more trial. “The trial at The Royal Marsden was for ipilimumab. Almost immediately, I knew it
was working,” she added. “Six years later, the lesions have flattened, no more have appeared and the ones in my liver cannot even be seen on a CT scan. I pinch myself because I know how lucky I am to have been on this trial.”
The trial results represent the biggest skin cancer breakthrough for more than 30 years Dr James Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist, the royal marsden
04 RM magazine
RM14_PG04-05_News_des8.indd 7
18/02/2013 16:23