'I can get more time': Breast cancer patient finds out she can get life extending drug
Patients in England with a specific type of incurable breast cancer can now access the life-extending drug Enhertu via the NHS. The treatment, which has been available in Scotland and other European countries, is expected to provide patients with several additional months of life.
Why it matters
This represents a significant policy shift in healthcare access, directly impacting the quality of life and prognosis for stage four cancer patients.
'I can get more time - that's everything': Breast cancer patient finds out she can get life extending drug Close Patients in England with a specific type of incurable breast cancer can now access a life-extending drug on the NHS.
Enhertu can give patients almost seven extra months to live on average.
Women in Scotland have had access to the drug on the NHS since 2023, and it is available in 26 other European countries.
Doctors in England are now able to prescribe it, with Wales expected to follow shortly but the guidance doesn't automatically apply to Northern Ireland.
Kate Wills, 51, has HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, which has spread to her bones and lungs.
When she hears it will be available on the NHS, she immediately starts crying. "I really can't believe it. I'm so relieved, I'm overjoyed," she says.
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