Thousands risk not getting cutting-edge cancer treatment, charity warns

Thousands of cancer patients are at risk of missing out on cutting-edge cell therapies due to a lack of NHS staff and infrastructure, a charity has warned.

Experts have called for “urgent intervention” to unlock the potential of these treatments.

Cellular therapies involve removing a person’s immune cells and genetically editing them to fight cancer once they are re-infused into the patient.

One type of treatment, known as Car T-cell therapy, has been used on more than 1,000 cancer patients since it was first introduced on the health service in 2018, according to stem cell charity Anthony Nolan.

It expects demand for these types of therapies to increase, but warned their potential is being hampered by a lack of specialist clinical staff, as well as a lack of NHS infrastructure and support services available for the complex treatments.

Patients are also forced to travel long distances for treatment due to limited specialist centres, Anthony Nolan said.

Caitlin Farrow, director of strategy and influencing at Anthony Nolan, added: “As more and more cellular therapies are developed, there’s an opportunity for the UK to be at the forefront of this transformation in healthcare.

“However, we are already seeing long wait times and patients unable to access these lifesaving therapies. We must make sure we have the right specialist infrastructure and patient support in place so that patients can benefit.”

Anthony Nolan has created a policy roadmap outlining the actions the Government should take to tackle the issue.

The blueprint, which will be presented by the charity at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, calls for more investment in specialist doctors, nurses, laboratory staff, and data managers.

According to Anthony Nolan, there is currently no national training curriculum for cell therapy staff groups, with services “running at maximum capacity with chronic staff shortages, hampering the ability of the system to test, innovate and grow”.

The UK’s capacity for cell collection – known as apheresis – should also be increased after figures from the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) estimated demand for services will rise, the charity said.

Apheresis is a crucial step for cellular therapies as it is how immune cells are collected from patients.

It also suggests the creation of a national patient travel fund to cover the costs of travel and accommodation when accessing cell therapies.

Rob Cross, 58, had Car-T to treat blood cancer and described it as his “last chance saloon”.

The married father-of-two was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in 2020 and was offered the treatment in 2022 after several unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy.

“Car-T was my last chance saloon,” Mr Cross said. “If I didn’t go through this, cancer was probably going to beat me. So, I felt nervous about how it would go but I knew I was going to do it because it was a lifeline.

“I appreciated that there were a lot of risks involved, but it was less risky than not having the treatment.

“I’ve been lucky. Recovery is a gradual process, but things are getting back to normal. The worry and anxiety have passed, and my family are just happy to have me back in a fit state, doing all the stuff I used to do before I was diagnosed.

“I really want to give something back and help people, which is why I’ve been supporting Anthony Nolan by sharing my experiences. I’ve now made two visits to the House of Lords in Parliament as a patient expert to support various initiatives to increase the provision of Car-T treatment and all the support that this requires.”

Consultant haematologist Dr Eleni Tholouli, who is also chairwoman of the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (BSBMTCT) workforce sub-group, added: “The vast majority of transplant centres have gaps in their staffing needs, with highly specialised team members across all areas, such as haematology consultants, nurses, pharmacists and data managers, in short supply.

“As cell therapy becomes ever more complex, we are rapidly approaching a crisis point in the workforce that needs urgent intervention.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government inherited a broken NHS and cell collection services under signifant pressure, which risks limiting patients’ access to groundbreaking treatments.

“We are working urgently with NHS England and health partners to overcome these challenges and make the most of the opportunities these emerging therapies may bring.

“As part of our mission to get the NHS back on its feet, we will improve cancer survival rates by hitting all cancer waiting time targets within five years and double the number of MRI and CT scanners so no patient waits longer than they should.”