Here! Here!

In the UK, starting today, all women newly diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will be tested to see if their tumours carry a protein called HER2, which indicates whether a patient may benefit from treatment with Roches' Herceptin.

Hooray, Insider cheers. Who says the UKs NHS does not work?

This decision was welcomed by Barbara Clark, a children's nurse who on Monday won a landmark appeal allowing her to be prescribed Herceptin and overturning a previous decision by Somerset Coast NHS Primary Care Trust not to fund her treatment.

But wait. What about all the women who are already diagnosed with the disease?

This is the "clever" part (an accountant must have been involved)! Women who have already been diagnosed with breast cancer will NOT automatically be tested for HER2 and may not have access to Herceptin. These women must appeal to their local NHS trust for testing and treatment (if they are HER2 positive).

So. Two cheers only for the NHS!

But let's not forget the ultimate reason for the accountants interest and involvement. A course of Herceptin costs between £20,000 and £25,000.


Source: The Independent