Tag: Private Medical insurance

Hormone tablet Abiraterone for prostate cancer treated with curative intent

Prostate cancer can be treated with curative intent if it is localised to pelvis.

But in patients with high risk cancers, additional treatments might be needed to improve the odds of controlling the cancer.

Abiraterone is one such add-on treatment that has been shown to improve long term outcomes in a large UK trial.

Unfortunately the drug, abiraterone, even though it is much cheaper now, is not widely available in the UK National Health System ( NHS).

Now an AI (artificial intelligence) test has been developed which selects better those patients who are likely to benefit from Abiraterone.

Hopefully the test will become available for routine use in the near future.

The study data was presented at the prestigious annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) at Chicago.

Dr Sundar is a member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and has been a member for more than 25 years.

References

BBC news. Hugh Pym and Ian Atkinson. Men denied life-extending prostate cancer drug

UCL. AI test to determine best prostate cancer treatment could save lives and money. 30 May 2025.

Daily Telegraph. Give prostate cancer patients drug that halves risk of death, NHS told.

SUN Newspaper.

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information research only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options, which are relevant and specific to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in any way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.

Immunotherapy makes advanced head and neck cancer patients live longer

Immunotherapy has revolutionised the care of many patients with kidney, bladder, skin and various other cancers.

Now a UK led study has shown that given the immunotherapy drug- pembrolizumab – before and after surgery– makes people live substantially longer.

Pembrolizumab is a very costly drug with limited affordability in developing countries.

In western countries, only people with private medical insurance or people having a publicly funded health systems such as NHS can afford it.

The fascinating immunotherapy data was presented at the prestigious annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) at Chicago.

Dr Sundar is a member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for more than 25 years.

References

  1. BBC News. Breakthrough cancer drug doubles survival in trial. Philippa Roxby
    Heath Reporter. May 2025.
  2. American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2025: Neoadjuvant and adjuvant pembrolizumab plus standard of care (SOC) in resectable
    locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA HNSCC): Exploratory
    efficacy analyses of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-689 study    . ( Distant Metastasis-Free Survival (DMFS) data:
    Median DMFS was 51.8 months with pembrolizumab + SOC versus 35.7 months with SOC (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.56–0.90).
    Estimated DMFS rate at 36 months was 59.1% versus 49.0%, respectively. )
  3. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. 2025. Addition of Perioperative Pembrolizumab to Standard of Care in Newly Diagnosed Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer.
  4. Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemotherapy in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Updated Results of the Phase III KEYNOTE-048 Study.

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information research only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options, which are relevant and specific to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in any way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.