By Marios Papaloizou & Colin Rhodes
A revolutionary drug that will ease the suffering of advanced forms a disfiguring type of skin cancer is being approved for UK use after a trial in Salford.
Erivedge (clinically named Vismodegib) is a first-of-a-kind drug that helps with the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma (Adavanced BCC) – a form of skin cancer.
Sufferers of Gorlin Syndrome – a form of skin cancer that can cause catastrophic lesions and jaw cysts as well as a host of other physical problems – are also prone to developing Advanced BCC, and the drug can be used in treatment for this condition too.
Previously the only treatment available to sufferers was surgery or radiotherapy and patients with advanced forms of the syndrome had no viable treatment options at all.
However, the introduction of the new drug following a clinical trial at Salford Royal hospital, has given patients new hope in their battle against Gorlin Syndrome or Advanced BCC.
Dr John Lear, Consultant Dermatologist at Salford NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Advanced basal cell carcinoma can be a socially isolating and highly disfiguring disease that may impair patients facial structures and senses.
“Until now, there haven’t been any treatment options available for patients for whom surgery or radiotherapy was not appropriate.
“Vismodegib, which has been shown to shrink tumours, is a welcomed new treatment option for patients with Advanced BCC and should provide them with a promising new outlook.”
Dr Lear added that the new drug worked ‘amazingly quickly’ and that patients with ulcerations on their face had seen them clear up within three weeks.
According to Dr Lear, the effectiveness of the drug means that it could save a patient’s ear, nose or eyes.
Margaret Costello, co-founder of The Gorlin Syndrome Group who act as a support group for sufferers, has also welcomed the approval of the drug.
“The new treatment could be a lifeline to those individuals [who are at the advanced stage of the disease],” she said.
Gorlin Syndrome is the most common form of skin cancer and affects 1 in every 30, 000 people in the UK.
Dr Lear estimated that there are approximately 700 people in the UK who suffer from the condition in its advanced form and will directly benefit from the approval of the new drug.
Of those 700 people an estimated 30-40 are in the Greater Manchester area.
Picture courtesy of JSR Photo, with thanks.
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