Knowledge Gap of Concern to Both
Physicians and Patient Groups
Nine out of ten patients battling cancer in
Europe have never heard of a major
breakthrough in cancer treatment, known as anti-angiogenesis, according to a new survey
released today. Yet, 70% of cancer specialists who took part in the survey believe that
patients and their carers should know more about anti-angiogenic treatment as it marks the
dawn of a new era in cancer treatment. In fact, half of the cancer specialists surveyed
even believed that the use of anti-angiogenic therapy could lead to cancer becoming a
treatable illness people can live with, not the death sentence it so often is.
Anti-angiogenic therapy is a novel new
therapy that works by starving the tumour of
its blood supply to stop its growth. The first anti-angiogenic therapy, Avastin(R)
(bevacizumab), was launched a year ago for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer,
and is the only anti-angiogenic agent that has consistently demonstrated survival benefit
in the three most common tumour types: colorectal cancer, breast cancer and non-small cell
lung cancer (NSCLC).
Professor Nick Thatcher, Professor of
Oncology, University of Manchester, Christie
Hospital, UK, said: "We are entering a new era in the treatment of cancer with the
advent
of innovative new cancer therapies and it's important that patients and their medical
advisors understand the potential of these new treatments to extend life."
The survey was conducted amongst 500 cancer
specialists and patients in the UK,
France, Spain, Italy and Germany. It revealed that patient awareness of new cancer
treatments is low: 40 percent admitted to feeling completely uninformed about advances in
technology which might help them overcome their disease. This knowledge gap is concerning
to both patient groups and physicians, who feel it is important that cancer patients are
up-to-date on the latest technologies that may help them in their fight against the
disease.
Dr Jesme Baird, director of patient care at
The Roy Castle Lung Foundation, part of
the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, commented: "Statistics like these expose a major
information gap between cancer patients and physicians regarding new advances in
treatment, yet we know that people fighting cancer go through so much emotionally that
they need to be able to believe in the future. The dialogue between patient and physician
is critical in order to make an informed decision".
Access: Call for better care
The survey also showed that a majority of
cancer specialists believe that access to
new cancer therapies should be widened, particularly in light of physician and patient
dissatisfaction with traditional chemotherapy agents.
"It is essential that we work with
health authorities and regulators to ensure better
access to these innovative new treatments," says Dr. Jesme Baird. "Cancer
patients depend so much upon the development of new technology to offer hope of a better
future, and we want them to live long enough to enjoy it. That means that new treatments
must be made available to those who need it."
A recent report published by the Karolinska
Institutet, in conjunction with the
Stockholm School of Economics, exposed stark inequalities in patient access to cancer
treatment across Europe. This research, titled "A pan-European comparison regarding
patient access to cancer drugs", found that despite the proven benefits of new
innovative
treatments options, the speed at which patients can benefit from them depends to a great
extent upon the country in which they live. The attitudinal findings in this survey
support the Karolinska report results, further highlighting the physician and patient
call to action to amend access guidelines.
