Key points from article :
A pioneering scheme piloted at the Christie NHS foundation trust proved successful -- it is being rolled out across the UK.
Cancer patients running out of options are being offered personalised drugs via the nationwide initiative.
Uses blood test made by Roche that spots genetic faults in the cancer.
A match-making service for patients and clinical trials.
Recruiting thousands of patients via 18 cancer centres in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Patients accessing new drugs this way were more likely to see their tumours shrink.
“...to identify rare genetic mutations could mean access to life-changing experimental medicines,” - Matthew Krebs, a consultant oncologist at the Christie.
A patient was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer but access to clinical trials through the pilot scheme has kept him alive.
“We need studies to provide the evidence that patients can benefit from being matched to targeted medicines on the basis of the blood test,” - Krebbs.
