Cancer drug move agony - VIDEO

Bowel cancer patient Susan Hunt says she has been denied the Cetuximab drug, which could help shrink her tumours, by an NHS postcode lottery.

The 56-year-old mum, from Farm View Road, Kimberworth, was told by bosses at Rotherham Primary Care Trust she could not have the drug - which is available on the NHS in Scotland and Europe.

Susan and her husband of 36 years, Graham, 58, a former detective with Attercliffe CID in Sheffield, have appealed the decision - but say if their appeal fails they will up sticks and move north of the border.

Susan was diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago and underwent an operation to remove a tumour. She went into remission but the cancer returned and she now has secondary tumours in her liver and lung.

They have been treated once with chemotherapy but have since stopped responding to treatment.

A test carried out on Susan's original tumour found it responded to Cetuximab - but a request for the drug from her consultant was turned down.

Today Graham said: "Without this drug Susan will die. With it, we hope the tumours will shrink to allow life-saving surgery.

"We have worked all our lives and paid into the system - and that system is turning us down. It is something that is simply not right.

"The last resort will be to uproot and move to Scotland where the drug would definitely be available to us. We are prepared to do this even though it will be very disruptive, but we are talking about my wife's life."

Cetuximab successfully targets chemotherapy to the site of tumours, so treatment is significantly more effective.

The Hunts, who met as childhood sweethearts in Rotherham 42 years ago and have one son, David, 24, hope this would then allow surgeons to remove Susan's shrunken lung and liver tumours.

A Rotherham Primary Care Trust spokeswoman said the decision to deny treatment had been made after careful consideration, purely on "clinical" grounds, in accordance with guidance from the National Institute of Clinical Evidence.

She said the drug was licensed for use in Rotherham but only prescribed following "strict guidelines".

The spokeswoman added: "If more evidence is presented at the appeal the decision could be overturned."

Rotherham MP Denis MacShane has written to the Primary Care Trust asking for answers about the case.