METUPUK are delighted by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) decision to recommend Talazoparib (Talzenna ®, Pfizer Ltd.) for treating HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with germline
Trodelvy Now! Latest Update
METUPUK are delighted that NICE has accepted Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) for routine use on the NHS in England for the treatment of patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have received two or more prior lines of systemic therapies. This follows on from the decision to approve Trodelvy in NHS Scotland in March 2022. Wales and Northern Ireland normally follow decisions by NHS England and we hope that Trodelvy will be made available to every patient who is eligible without delay.
Palliative Care – Why it’s important to have an Advanced Care Plan
Hi, I’m Kat, and I’m a nurse at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice in Oldham. You’ve heard from me before and today I wanted to share with you my experiences of supporting Becky, an incredible woman living with metastatic breast cancer, and my thoughts on what I hope early hospice care was able to contribute to her life.
Drugs, Drugs, Drugs
I think sometimes when those outside the cancer world imagine what treatment is like they think we go in, have some chemo, take some photos dancing around our IV pole and then go home and rest for a few days…. And don’t get me wrong I’m one of those people who have taken a cheeky chemo selfie and donned numerous items of leopard print to get me through those loooooooong days in the chemo ward, it’s like armour for what is essentially ritual poisoning!
The serial killer inside me
I’m 36 and I walk around with a serial killer inside of me. One day soon, almost certainly before my 40th birthday, that serial killer is going to break free and end my life in a slow and painful way. To delay this from happening I’ve had to fill my body with poison (some of the drug boxes actually have skull and crossbones warning signs on!).
A Real Life Accounts of Accessing Clinical Trials
In 2018 I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in my liver, I was 44.
I knew the survival statistics were grim, so decided from the outset, in order to outlive the 2 to 3-year median I’d have to embrace experimental drugs and treatments.
I made this clear during my first oncology appointment, telling my doctor I was keen to sign up for clinical trials right from the start.
Aren’t you a bit young to have a pacemaker
Stage 4 breast cancer with a pacemaker
Most people know someone with a pacemaker, and chances are that person will be elderly. The average age of a first pacemaker implantation in the UK is 72, but pacemakers are actually fitted in people of all ages from newborn babies to the very elderly. I was 39 when I had mine, which was needed as a complication after heart surgery to replace my aortic valve and root.
Get Over Yourself
It’s not always easy to accept help and support. I was diagnosed with cancer in my early thirties when I was already struggling with a lot of feelings of failure.
What’s so bad about fears and tears?
I’m 36 years old and I’m dying of secondary breast cancer. As a result I’m petrified 24/7. I’m currently waiting for scan results that will tell me if my current
Supportive Care
As a secondary breast cancer patient living with an incurable disease, I feel very strongly about wording. Wording like fight, battle and lost/loosing. Words matter. So, I also think that