Blood cancer patients to benefit from first targeted treatment available on the NHS

Zanubrutinib is the first approved treatment for this type of blood cancer and is expected to benefit approximately 470 patients over the next three years. 

In clinical trials, up to 80% of patients' cancers responded to the drug, and many are expected to have a positive response to treatment for several years. 

What is Marginal Zone Lymphoma? 

Marginal zone lymphoma is a group of slow-growing non-Hodgkin lymphomas. In non-Hodgkin lymphomas, the affected lymphocytes start to multiply in an abnormal way and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes. The affected lymphocytes lose their infection-fighting properties, making you more vulnerable to infection. 

In the UK, about 2,600 people are diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma. The main symptom is small painless lumps in lymph nodes. However, this can often lead to the cancer being diagnosed at a more advanced stage, which can cause persistent tiredness and an increased risk of infections. 

Some patients can become resistant to current treatments, including chemotherapy, which can also cause serious nausea and discomfort.

Who is eligible for the new treatment?

Zanubrutinib (Brukinsa®) will be offered to patients whose cancer has not responded well to previous treatment. It can be taken as once or twice a day capsules at home, potentially reducing the inconvenience and side effects of intravenous chemotherapy. 

Frank Burrows, 66, from North Somerset, who was diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma six years ago, said: “Having a drug like Zanubrutinib is a game-changer for people with marginal zone lymphoma and I’m delighted that it is now available on the NHS and gives people like me who are facing this cancer a whole new choice.

“The chemotherapy I had could knock the cancer all the way back, but it couldn’t cure it. You can go through chemotherapy two or three times but then your body can’t have any more and there is no further treatment available. It also puts a lot of strain on your immune system, and you can pick up all sorts of illnesses very quickly.

“I know that this drug gives me a treatment option if my cancer comes back and being able to take just the pill at home twice a day takes a lot of stress and anxiety out of the equation, compared to needing to go to hospital for treatment – it allows you to just get on with life. It’s amazing that this treatment is now available, and it is going to give hope and higher quality of life for people with marginal zonal lymphoma.”

Original article published on: NHS England » First targeted treatment made available for hundreds of blood cancer patients on the NHS