Cancer treatment method receives national recommendation

Novartis today announced that Kisqali^® (ribociclib) has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use on the NHS in combination with fulvestrant, where exemestane plus everolimus is the most appropriate alternative.

In the UK, around 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Thirty per cent of women with earlier stages of breast cancer will develop advanced disease. Eighty-five per cent of women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, where the cancer has spread beyond the breast (locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer), will not live longer than five years.

The combination treatment will be available on the NHS with immediate effect, providing approximately 5,300 a year in England and Wales with a new option for their advanced breast cancer. The combination of ribociclib with fulvestrant gives women the possibility of living 5 months longer without their disease worsening, compared to receiving fulvestrant alone.

Aston spoke to Dr Mark Verrill, Head of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital to discuss the research in further detail.