New womb cancer treatment gives hope for hundreds of women

Adrug that could buy women with womb cancer more time with their loved ones before the disease progresses is to be made available on the NHS.

Dostarlimab, which is sold under the brand name Jemperli, is an immunotherapy that works by attracting specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells to help the immune system attack them.

The move is expected to benefit hundreds of patients each year and evidence suggests the drug extends life expectancy when used alongside chemotherapy.

It will be rolled out by NHS England from Tuesday after receiving the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), with up to 200 patients expected to be eligible each year.

Professor Peter Clark, NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) lead, said: “The rollout of this drug as a first-line treatment on the NHS is great news for patients living with this type of womb cancer – this new immunotherapy could offer hundreds of women the hope of precious extra time to live well before their cancer progresses.”

According to Nice, there are two main types of womb cancer – endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma – with about 9,000 new cases every year in the UK.

The most common type is endometrial cancer, with about 23% of cases involving cells with a high number of mutations.

Jemperli is recommended for these subtypes where the cancer is advanced or has come back following previous treatment, Nice said.