7-minute cancer treatment: science has come up with another miracle in the service of humanity. England has become the first nation in the UK to introduce a new seven-minute injection to treat cancer.
The immunotherapy drug “Atezolizumab” can now be given to cancer patients intravenously, which can take up to an hour, using this new technique. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved this revolutionary method and the NHS announced as a result on 29 August.
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What is Atezolizumab?
Atezolizumab, an intravenous drug given to patients through a vein through a drip, is also known as Tecentriq. It enables the patient’s body’s immune system to find and eliminate malignant cells. According to the National Cancer Institute, “Atezolizumab is a type of targeted therapy drug called an immune checkpoint inhibitor. It is a monoclonal antibody that works by binding to the PD-L1 protein on the surface of some cancer cells, which prevents the cancer cells from being suppressed by the immune system. This allows the immune system to attack the cancer cells.”
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How does Atezolizumab treat cancer patients?
The immunotherapy drug, atezolizumab, is made by Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche. It works by strengthening the patient’s immune system so that it can find and destroy cancer cells. The drug is usually injected intravenously. Due to problems with vein access, this type of administration can take up to an hour and can be difficult for some people. According to Marius Scholtz, medical director of Roche Products Limited, “it takes about seven minutes, compared to 30 to 60 minutes for the current intravenous infusion method.”
Current NHS protocol offers transfusion-based treatment for a variety of cancers, including:
- Alveolar sarcoma of the soft part
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Melanoma
- Non-small cell lung cancer
- Small cell lung cancer
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How useful is this new method?
This new approach is expected to offer patients more efficient and convenient care and give cancer care teams more time. It is estimated that the newly introduced injection procedure will last only seven minutes, which significantly shortens the duration of the treatment.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), NHS England, announced on Tuesday that hundreds of eligible patients receiving the immunotherapy atezolizumab are to receive a “subcutaneous” injection, giving cancer treatment teams more time to treat other patients.
“This approval will not only enable us to provide more appropriate and faster care for our patients, it will also enable our teams to treat more patients throughout the day,” said Dr Alexander Martin, consultant oncologist at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
Most of the almost 3,600 patients who start treatment with atezolizumab each year in England will be switched to the faster injection method, according to NHS England. Also, patients receiving atezolizumab in addition to intravenous chemotherapy can continue to receive their medication via transfusion. This revolutionary move not only advances cancer treatment, but also has the potential to improve patients’ lives and streamline hospital operations.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn