A third of health authorities are not intending to make a written commitment to fund platinum and paclitaxel (Taxol) therapy for women with ovarian cancer, according to research published in a report by the charity Cancerbacup. This is despite the fact that all health authorities are aware that guidance from the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and the National Cancer Guidelines Steering Group recommended that the combination should be first-line treatment, the report says.
Cancerbacup says that it welcomes progress towards better NHS cancer services, such as Government measures to ensure early referral. However, it adds that there must be a commitment to provide the best treatment once a diagnosis of cancer is made. The report says that all health authorities should have explicit policies on what cancer patients are entitled to expect and that there is a need to "ring fence" resources for cancer treatments as soon as there is clear evidence of their efficacy.
Ms Jean Mossman (chief executive, Cancerbacup) said at a press briefing on January 26: "Official guidelines and recommendations must be updated and implemented quickly to avoid delays in access to innovative treatments."
The report, which was launched on January 26, is called "Living with cancer in the twenty-first century". The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is due to publish recommendations on the use of taxanes (including paclitaxel) in April.