BLADDER CANCER PATIENTS OFFERED SURVIVAL HOPE BY NEW DRUG GREENLIT ON NHS

Patients with an aggressive form of bladder cancer could be given an increased chance of survival by a new drug.

Studies show durvalumab can halt progression of the muscle-invasive form of the disease and prevent further hospitalisation.

Last week the NHS spending watchdog gave the greenlight for the immune-boosting drug to be rolled out on the NHS.

A landmark trial of durvalumab on more than 1,000 patients found there was a 32 per cent reduction in the risk for progression compared with standard care.

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a more advanced stage of the disease, when cancer cells have penetrated the muscle lining of the organ.

Around 18,000 people a year are diagnosed with bladder cancer and an estimated one in four have MIBC. Symptoms include blood in the urine, lower back or abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss.

Despite current treatments, about half of patients experience recurrence or progression within five years.

Under the new recommended regimen, durvalumab is administered alongside chemotherapy before radical cystectomy – the complete removal of the bladder – and continued after surgery.

Approximately 630 patients a year are expected to be eligible for the therapy. Experts have welcomed the approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which they say is 'crucial' for patients.

'Any cancer diagnosis has a profound impact – and a diagnosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer can be life-changing,' says Jeannie Rigby, of Action Bladder Cancer. 'Access to innovative treatments that can improve survival is crucial.'

Doctors who have used the drug as part of the trial have said that the new standard of care means more patients will be 'cured' from the hard-to-treat cancer.

Dr Syed Hussain, oncology professor at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'We see a higher subset of patients achieving cure and I am delighted to see this has been made available for our patients by NICE.'

Read more

2026-02-15T01:03:35Z