A woman who was told her cancer was inoperable twelve years ago is 'living proof' of the success of a new drug treating inherited cancer as her recent scans show no more evidence of the disease. Sue Vincent from Solihull is said to be 'delighted' the life-saving drug which enabled her to see the birth of her five grandchildren has now been approved for wider NHS use.
Sue first joined a clinical trial for a new drug called Olaparib when she was told her ovarian cancer could not be cured, Birmingham Live reports. She has now been taking the drug since 2010 and recent scans show no evidence of the disease.
The 69-year-old says she has been given her life back and has even been awarded an MBE through her local government work. Now, Olaparib has been approved for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer caused by inherited faulty BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 genes.
The drug was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the hope it will offer the chance of longer and healthier lives for thousands of patients.
Sue said: “For the past 12 years I have been taking Olaparib and it has given me my life back. It has enabled me to see five beautiful grandchildren being born and to take an active part in their life.
"It has enabled me to go back to work and build a significant business for myself. I’ve even been awarded an MBE for my work in local government, supporting people with disabilities.
"I’m back doing all the things I did pre-diagnosis, it’s given me a quality of life I could only have dreamed about. My prognosis was so dire that really and truthfully any life was going to be good - this life is very, very good.”
Olaparib had already been available on the NHS for women with advanced ovarian cancer but the drug will be used to treat more patients going forward. Sue has expressed her gratitude to the 'sheer excellence' of the scientists and researchers who have allowed her to have an 'amazing 12 years so far'.
She said: “I am delighted with the news from NICE that Olaparib is going to be made available. Here I am, all these years later, living proof that Olaparib works.
"One of the things that's been very difficult for me to come to terms with is how lucky I have been that I had access to Olaparib; and I want it to be available for everybody that needs it.
"I can only thank the powers that have been that made this decision because it will make a difference to so many people's lives. Thank you!”
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