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Number starting anticancer therapies soars beyond pre-pandemic norms

The number of patients starting anticancer therapies dropped by almost a third in April 2020, the month following the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown, but went above pre-pandemic levels within three months, finds a new study of NHS England data.

The analysis, published in the Lancet Oncology, assessed the number of registrations to initiate systemic anticancer treatment recorded per month in April, May, and June 2020, against the mean number of monthly registrations in the pre-lockdown 'control period' of September 2019 to February 2020. This information is recorded on the NHS England Prior Approval system.

For April 2020, 2969 registrations were recorded, representing 1417 fewer registrations than in the control period, a 32 per cent reduction. In May 2020, registrations increased to 3950, representing a 10 per cent reduction from the control period. However, in June 2020, 5022 registrations were recorded, representing a 15 per cent increase compared with the control period.

Researchers say a major part of the return to pre-pandemic cancer treatment levels by June was a result of the publication of COVID-19 rapid guidance on the delivery of systemic anticancer treatments. This provided more treatment options via temporary approval of oral drug alternatives and less immunosuppressive therapies, many of these being off-label treatments and used in earlier stages of therapy than currently licensed.

Co-lead author, Professor Allan Hackshaw, from University College London’s Cancer Institute, said: "Our study shows the positive consequences of NHS England offering clinicians and patients a wider range of treatment options including drugs that had not yet been appraised by NICE or which are off-label, but are likely to result in less risk to patients from the pandemic. These additional options contributed to the greater number of registrations for new patients starting systemic anticancer treatment in May and June, 2020."


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