Melanie Sturtevant, associate director of policy, evidence and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said:
"We welcome today’s announcement that official advice in Scotland now supports the use of paclitaxel in combination with trastuzumab plus pertuzumab for certain people with secondary (also known as metastatic) breast cancer.
“The current preferred treatment option for this patient group is docetaxel in combination with trastuzumab and pertuzumab. However, some patients experience severe side effects from the docetaxel component, including reducing the number of white blood cells (neutropenia) which can increase the risk of getting an infection.
“Today’s decision from the National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group to allow clinicians in Scotland to use paclitaxel as an alternative to docetaxel in the combination could provide a more suitable option with more ‘manageable’ symptoms. This could improve people’s quality of life to be able to do what matters most to them, without affecting the hope of more time to live that this drug combination brings.
“Breast cancer is far from a done deal. It’s still a disease that takes and rips apart far too many lives. In Scotland, around 5,310 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. At the end of 2023 4,202 people in Scotland were recorded living with incurable secondary breast cancer – although we know far more are living with this disease.”
ENDS
Notes to editors: