The treatment for stage small cell lung cancer is not available on the NHS, and this is the first time a lung cancer patient has been treated with this therapy at a HCA Healthcare UK hospital.
US-owned private hospital operator HCA Healthcare has introduced bispecific antibody therapy for patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).
HCA UK’s The Harborne Hospital in Birmingham is the first facility in the West Midlands to treat a lung cancer patient using bispecific antibody therapy, a significant advancement in the treatment of solid tumours.
Bispecific T cell engager therapy represents the latest advancement in the rapidly evolving landscape of immunotherapy treatments, which are increasingly being used to target different types of cancers. The new treatment option is available for patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer who have experienced disease progression on or after two or more lines of therapy.
“This milestone represents a significant breakthrough in our ability to treat patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer,” said Shobhit Baijal, consultant oncologist at The Harborne Hospital. Bispecific T cell engager therapy represents the next generation of immunotherapy, building on the success of monoclonal antibodies and harnessing the natural defences of the immune system in a more targeted way than ever before,” he added.
Bispecific therapy
The therapy uses specially manufactured antibodies that can bind to proteins on two types of cells simultaneously – cancer cells and normal T-cells. This mechanism allows T-cells to come into close contact with cancer cells, enabling them to recognise and destroy them more effectively than traditional treatments.
HCA UK was one of the first providers to offer bispecific therapy for blood cancers in 2023, and this new lung cancer treatment represents the first bispecific therapy of its kind for a solid tumour available through the network.
“This therapy offers new hope for patients with lung cancer and reinforces our position at the forefront of cancer care innovation in the UK,” said Claire Dunsterville, chief executive of HCA Healthcare UK’s Harborne Hospital.
The treatment is not currently available on the NHS. While available across HCA UK’s Leaders in Oncology Care sites through private medical insurance and self-pay options, this is the first time a patient has received the therapy at any HCA UK hospital.
