A new immunotherapy jab which has slashed the treatment time for some cancer patients isnow being offered at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.
The new injectable form of pembrolizumab, a type of immunotherapy, takes around five minutesto administer, compared to at least 30mins for an infusion, meaning that many patients can nowspend less time in hospital.
The switch to injections also means more patients can be treated on the RUH’s Medlock Unit. Both patients and nurses say they prefer the jab to the infusion, with patients reporting fewer side effects too.
The jab can be used to treat 14 different cancer types, including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical and works by triggering immune cells to recognise and kill cancer cells.
The injection is being rolled out nationally, but the RUH is amongst the first hospitals to offer it to patients.
Jo Parkes, RUH Pharmacy Clinical Lead for Cancer Services, said: “It’s great that we’re now able to offer many of our cancer patients this option for treatment.
“The feedback we’ve had from patients has been overwhelmingly positive. People really appreciate how quickly the injection can be given compared with an infusion and that they now spend less time in hospital overall.
“Patients have told us they feel less stressed by the experience and how it’s freed up more of their time for important day to day activities, like getting back to work and parents being able to make the school run.”
Shannon Nally, Specialist Cancer Services Pharmacist added: “This really is fantastic news for so many of our cancer patients and I’m delighted that the RUH is one of the first hospitals to be offering this treatment, it reflects our commitment to consistently delivering the highest quality care for the people we care for.”
Pembrolizumab works by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a break on immune responses, releasing the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
You can find out lots more information about pembrolizumab and its administration on the Macmillan Cancer website.
