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Neuroendocrine cancer patients who were unable to receive treatment in Australia due to the border closure will now be able to access it in Auckland.
Photo: 123rf
The Ministry of Health, the Auckland District Board of Health and other agencies have worked to provide Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) in Auckland on an interim arrangement.
Patients generally travel to Melbourne for treatment that is funded by the ministry.
Te Aho o te Kahu, Executive Director of the Cancer Control Agency, Professor Dianna Sarfati, said that this was an example of the joint collaboration of the cancer sector.
About two dozen sick people have been unable to access treatment due to travel restrictions, but the first patient is expected to receive treatment in Auckland before the end of this month.
Chris Holmes was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2011 at the age of 49.
“The recommendation then was that he get palliative care, I mean I didn’t even really understand what that meant.”
After radiation, which had part of her liver removed and given a monthly injection to stop her cancer from growing, Holmes learned about PRRT.
He was not available here, so he flew to Melbourne for four rounds of treatment.
“I got the treatment in 2016 and 2017 and it had a significant impact, I can see my scans before and after and the images are completely different, the tumors got much smaller,” said Holmes.
“PRRT has saved my life for sure, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you if I didn’t.”
He said he was lucky the therapy was covered by his health insurance, otherwise he would have to cover the cost himself.
“I live near Wellington airport and I had friends in Melbourne that I could stay with so there weren’t as many additional costs for me as there are for others, some people just can’t afford it therefore they don’t get it.
“The fact that it is available here is incredible and something that many people have worked on for a long time: when the first patient receives treatment in Auckland, we will celebrate with a bottle of champagne.”
Malcolm Legget has received 11 cycles of PRRT since he was diagnosed with cancer nine years ago.
Like Holmes, he has seen a massive reduction in the size of his tumors and credits the treatment for staying alive.
“I had a great response to treatment to the point where things really got under control, things escalated a bit, but I had surgery last year that was a success,” Legget said.
“It extended my life and I have had a very good quality of life between treatments, I have continued to work full time.”
He said it was amazing that more people had access to it in New Zealand.
Pharmac has a funding request for PRRT that is in its prioritization process.
The Unicorn Foundation has been advocating for PRRT to be available in New Zealand.
Executive Director Michelle Sullivan said that having access to treatment would take a lot of stress off people.
“It is great that we have found a way to ensure that these seriously ill New Zealanders are treated,” he said.
“We have been concerned about our patients who have found themselves stranded without access to treatment.”
Sullivan said he greatly appreciated the urgency with which the interim service had been established.
“This treatment greatly improves the life expectancy of people with neuroendocrine cancers.”
