Thousands of patients hope came true, YES! A new treatment for lung cancer was approved for use in Scotland .
A drug named Tarceva, was the new one which significantly increases the survival rates of cancer patients.When taken as a pill, the drug approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (one per day), reduces the pressure on chemotherapy - Specialists and cancer support groups exclaimed that it benefits about 1500 patients every year.
A lung cancer patient in the advanced non-small cell stage, takes the drug which cost about £1700 a month per patient and needs to be given to people who have failed to respond to chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy proves to increase the survival rate by about 20%, whereas in the last year the rate was only 10% - said Dr Nicolson. But sometimes people won’t fit with chemotherapy due to relapses after treatment.
Dr Nicolson added the new treatment with Tarceva had lesser side effects like hair loss, pain, cough, breathless, and even better quality of life than in chemotherapy.
Scottish lung cancer rates are the worst in the UK and around 4500 new cases are diagnosed each year north of the border.
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