British children and teenagers with an aggressive form of brain cancer may benefit after a new life-extending drug combination was recommended for NHS use last week.
The treatment has been backed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), reports Nursing Times.
Dabrafenib (Finlee) with trametinib (Spexotras) is a targeted treatment that can be taken at home rather than hospital and improves the length and quality of life for patients.
The combination of the two – both made by Novartis – is being recommended by NICE in final draft guidance for treating BRAF V600E mutation-positive glioma.
Gliomas are the most common type of brain cancer in children and young people, and develop from the glial cells that support the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord.
NICE said that BRAF was a specific gene mutation that causes the body to make faulty proteins, subsequently causing tumours to develop in the brain.
It is classified as either low-grade glioma (LGG), where tumours do not grow or grow slowly, or high-grade glioma (HGG), where tumours grow more rapidly – and is usually fatal.
Previously, the treatments available for people with glioma were limited and included surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and best supportive care.
Dabrafenib is given as tablets, which are taken twice a day, and trametinib is an oral solution, taken once a day.
The “cancer growth blocker” drugs target the proteins affected by the BRAF gene, slowing or stopping the development of tumours, and are already used in several other forms of cancer.
NICE highlighted that clinical trials showed the new treatment stalled the tumour growth in people with LGG for an average of more than two years – three times longer than current drugs.
Trial data found progression-free survival for people with LGG was 24.9 months with dabrafenib plus trametinib, and 7.2 months with vincristine with carboplatin, another treatment combination.
For those with HGG the median progression-free survival was nine months.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Cancer Research UK: Progress at detecting glioma through urine
Drug starts clinical trials in human brain-cancer patients