Mum thrilled as cancer drug treatment made available

Lesley Stephen, Lesley Graham and Anne Maclean-Chang. Bottom row: Alison Tait who campaigned to get breast cancer drug Kadcyla made available on NHS in Scotland

Anne MacLean-Chung is delighted with the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) announcement on Monday that it is making Kadcyla routinely available on Scotland’s NHS.

The mum-of-two joined the campaign, led by charity Breast Cancer Now, after she was forced to battle two health boards in order to receive the drug.

Over 13,000 people signed a petition to make the drug routinely available in Scotland, which was presented to the SMC and drug manufacturer Roche.

It is estimated that over 100 women in Scotland could now benefit from Kadcyla every year.

The drug is a targeted treatment for women who have a second breast cancer known as HER2 positive and has been know to extend live by an extra six months compared to existing treatments, with some women able to live on it for years.

Anne (47), who is married to Winston and mum to Nathan (8) and Ollie (6), received the devastating news just over six months ago that her breast cancer had spread to her liver.

Despite her specialist’s recommendation, two Scottish health boards refused Anne’s pleas to provide the drug.

She began to fundraise to buy the drug herself but when her case was highlighted, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stepped in and she was offered the drug by NHS Grampian as she was living in Elgin at the time.

Since starting her treatment in August the tumour in Anne’s liver has shrunk from 2.2mm to 0.5mm and there is hope it may shrink further.

She said: “Kadcyla has allowed me to get on with my life. I have the same quality of living that I had prior to my diagnosis of secondary breast cancer and I suffer no ill effects from the drug, which is wonderful!

“I know secondary breast cancer is incurable, but I now have hope for more of a future with my family. We can get on with living and enjoying precious time together. It’s been invaluable.

“We all deserve the best chance at life and women with incurable breast cancer are no different.”

Mary Allison, Breast Cancer Now’s director for Scotland, said the decision would transform treatment options for women with HER2 positive secondary breast cancer.

She said: “I’d like to thank everyone who supported the Unlock Kadcyla petition, most of all our four inspirational women who were the driving force behind the campaign.

“Both the Scottish Government and BCN share the same vision of making sure that by 2050 everyone who develops breast cancer will live.