8 August 2019 - Another new life-extending treatment for some people with lung cancer is to be made available on the Cancer Drugs Fund following its approval by NICE in draft guidance published today.

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) used with chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel will now be an option for adults with squamous non-small-cell lung cancer which has spread to other parts of the body and who haven’t had any previous treatments.

Evidence from an ongoing clinical trial suggests that people who have pembrolizumab combination therapy could live longer than those who have standard chemotherapy. It also suggests people could have additional time without their cancer progressing compared with standard chemotherapy.

Read NICE press release