Thousands of people living with advanced bladder cancer now have access to a breakthrough therapy on the NHS that has been shown to double survival rates and dramatically improve outcomes.
The new bladder cancer treatment, hailed as the most significant advance in decades, combines two cutting-edge drugs that work together to attack cancer cells more effectively than traditional chemotherapy, offering fresh hope to patients facing one of the most challenging cancers to treat.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, believes the treatment will revolutionise bladder cancer care: “This is one of the most hopeful advances in decades for people with bladder cancer who will now be offered a treatment that can almost double their chances of survival, helping thousands to live longer and giving them more precious moments with their loved ones.
“Bladder cancer is often difficult to treat once it has spread, but this new therapy is the first one in years to really help stop the disease in its tracks, and our rollout to NHS patients will make a huge difference to the lives of those affected and their families”.
Bladder cancer is one of the most challenging cancers to manage, with more than 10,000 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year.
Its early stages can often be asymptomatic, meaning many patients are only diagnosed once the disease has already progressed.
Once it spreads beyond the bladder, it can be aggressive and resistant to conventional therapies, making new approaches essential.
How the bladder cancer therapy works
The bladder cancer treatment combines two powerful drugs – enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab – to launch a two-pronged attack on the disease.
Enfortumab vedotin directly targets and destroys cancer cells, while pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, strengthens the body’s own immune system to seek out and attack remaining cancer.
Administered via intravenous infusion, the therapy is aimed at patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body or is considered inoperable.
Extending lives beyond chemotherapy
For decades, people with metastatic bladder cancer have faced limited options, with chemotherapy offering only modest benefits and a median survival time of just over a year.
The new therapy changes that outlook significantly. Clinical data reveals that patients lived more than 2.5 years on average when receiving the combination treatment, compared to just 1.5 years with chemotherapy alone.
Not only did overall survival improve, but the time before the cancer returned or worsened also more than doubled, extending from six months to around 18 months.
In addition, nearly 30% of patients showed no detectable signs of cancer after treatment, compared with only 12.5% of those given chemotherapy.
Improved quality of life for patients
Traditional chemotherapy is often associated with harsh side effects, including severe nausea, fatigue, and immune suppression.
The new bladder cancer treatment offers a more targeted approach, reducing damage to healthy cells and leading to fewer complications for patients.
This selective targeting has been hailed as a game-changer in helping patients maintain a better quality of life during their treatment journey.
“If I hadn’t been on this trial, I imagine I would be dead by now”
75-year-old Martyn Hewett, from Stratford in East London, joined a clinical trial at Barts Health NHS Trust and received the combination therapy after surgery to remove his tumours was unsuccessful.
He explained how the treatment has transformed his life: “I feel very, very lucky, because if I hadn’t been on this trial, I imagine I would be dead by now.
“Immediately after the operation that failed, I asked the doctor what the prognosis was, and he said that most people in your position live for a year, and now, three and a half years later, here I am.
“I am going to have an extra few years to see my grandson grow up – and maybe even be around to see him get married”.
Making the treatment accessible
The rollout of this pioneering therapy has been made possible through commercial agreements between NHS England and pharmaceutical manufacturers Astellas Pharma and MSD UK.
The collaboration allowed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to classify the treatment as cost-effective, ensuring it could be made widely available on the NHS.
The approval of this combination therapy is the latest in a series of NHS-led innovations in cancer care.
Recent initiatives include the introduction of belantamab mafodotin for blood cancer, fast-tracking pembrolizumab for advanced womb cancer, and launching mRNA vaccine trials for head and neck cancers.
Collectively, these efforts highlight a shift towards precision medicine and immunotherapy as the future of cancer treatment.
Jeannie Rigby, CEO of Action Bladder Cancer UK, added: “We, bladder cancer patients and their families welcome this effective, and much-needed, alternative treatment.
“This new treatment can increase how long people have before their cancer gets worse and how long they live compared with current treatments available – while also providing a better quality of life with less adverse side effects”.
A new era of hope
For patients and families facing the uncertainty of advanced bladder cancer, the arrival of this new treatment represents a powerful step forward.
By significantly extending survival and offering the chance of remission with fewer side effects, the therapy is providing a level of hope that was unimaginable only a few years ago.
