A TREATMENT for men with advanced prostate cancer has been approved for use on the NHS in Scotland.
An expert at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Professor Rob Jones has welcomed the decision to offer suitable men the therapy known as radium-223 dichloride.
Scotland is said to be the first and only country in the UK to grant sustained access to the treatment for a specific set of patients.
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in Scotland, with almost 15,000 cases between 2008 and 2012, and the number of cases is projected to increase by 35 per cent within the next 10 years. In some the disease can spread to other parts
of the body, particularly the bones, leading to pain and potential fractures.
Professor Jones, honorary consultant in medical oncology at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, said: “Around 900 men a year die from prostate cancer in Scotland. In the majority of these
men, the cancer will have spread to the bones and this can cause a lot of problems such as pain, fracture and paralysis. The availability of radium-223 dichloride is welcome news
for men living with advanced prostate cancer and their families as this is a treatment which specifically targets the bones improving pain control and preventing other complications as well as prolonging survival. I am pleased that Scotland has recognised
the challenges that bone metastases can pose to patients with advanced stages of this cancer."
In trials median survival was extended by more than three months in patients who took the treatment. Some patients suffered side effects.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here