A novel breast cancer jab will lessen the time period patients have to pass in hospital from two-and-a-half hours to just 5-minutes.
Phesgo, a specific treatment, is rolled out in the UK by the National Health Service and will be provided to breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
This novel treatment will be available to HER2 +ve breast cancer patients, which accounts for 15% of entire such cancers.
National Health Service England stated the jab significantly cuts the risk of COVID-19 infection for cancer patients by lessening the time period they have to pass in hospital.
According to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, “This 5-minute treatment will be life-changing for the population with cancer across the nation, enabling them to pass more time away from the hospital and with their loved ones.”
Over 3,600 new patients every single year will benefit from the treatment, National Health Service England stated.
Phesgo is specifically a fixed-dose combination drug comprising pertuzumab and trastuzumab, indicated in order to treat all stages of HER2+ve breast cancer together with chemotherapy.
Phesgo treatment specifically takes as little as 5-minutes in order to prepare and administer, in comparison to a couple of infusions that can take up to two-and-a-half hours, National Health Service England stated.
According to Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of the charity Breast Cancer said, “With the approval of Phesgo on the National Health Service was terrific news for thousands of females who will benefit from a quicker and kinder treatment method.
She stated, “Decreasing the time patients need to pass in hospital, this quite efficient treatment method also promises in order to free up precious time for healthcare providers when the National Health Service is already under unprecedented strain due to COVID-19.”
The first patient to receive the treatment is Paula Lamb (51), having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014.
Paula Lamb, from Newton-le-Willows in St Helens, stated, “It feels absolutely amazing to be one of the first individuals to receive this treatment through the National Health Service and it really could not have come at a better time as lockdown lifts and I can stop shielding.”
She stated, “I’m currently taking a combination of drugs which generally takes about an hour-and-a-half to a couple of hours in order to administer all together, and I have to head into hospital to take them every 3-weeks.
“Existence of 5-minute treatment means I’ll have additional time to get out on walks, for my gardening, knitting and to help my daughter practise her cricket skills. It’s a real life changer.”
Reference:
https://www.shethepeople.tv/health/uk-five-minute-breast-cancer-treatment/