The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved a new drug called Jemperli that may prolong the lives of women with womb cancer.

4 minute read

Cancer is a disease where cells divide abnormally and spread to other parts of the body. Womb cancer is a type of cancer that affects the womb (where a baby grows during pregnancy).

The most common type of womb cancer is endometrial cancer, which affects the endometrium (the lining of the womb). Endometrial cancer accounts for more than 90% of womb cancers. It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with around 9700 new cases diagnosed every year. Anyone with a womb can get womb cancer.

What is the new treatment for womb cancer?

Dostarlimab, also sold under the brand name, Jemperli, is a type of immunotherapy treatment. Immunotherapy works by helping the body’s immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.

Dostarlimab is a type of monoclonal antibody that stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells. It works by attaching to a protein called PD-1 on the surface of cancer cells. This helps the immune system to recognise and attack the cancer.

What did the study show?

In the clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers studied 494 eligible participants for a period of up to three years. Half of the participants were randomly selected for treatment with dostarlimab, and half were given a placebo. All patients received chemotherapy.

After 12 months, cancer was found not to have progressed in 64% of those treated with dostarlimab and chemotherapy, significantly higher than the 24% of participants who received chemotherapy alone.

Why has Dostarlimab treatment been fast-tracked?

Dostarlimab is a life-prolonging treatment that appears to slow the spread of endometrial cancer, giving some patients with advanced or reoccurring endometrial cancer precious time before their cancer progresses.

The fast-tracking of this drug means that it can be made available to patients on the NHS while studies into the long-term effects continue.

Who is eligible for the new womb cancer treatment?

Dostarlimab is a treatment for advanced or recurrent womb cancer (womb cancer that has spread or come back). It will be offered to women whose advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer has a particular genetic profile known as high microsatellite instability (MSI) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR). These genetic profiles are present in around a quarter of womb cancers.

It is expected that an estimated 150-200 women per year with advanced primary or recurrent endometrial cancer will be eligible for the new treatment.

How is the treatment given?

The treatment is administered intravenously (into a vein) over 30 minutes every three weeks alongside six cycles of chemotherapy. If patients respond well to the treatment, it is continued every six weeks for up to three years.

Summary

NICE’s decision to approve this new drug as a treatment for endometrial cancer has been welcomed by the NHS, Cancer charities and patients alike, and offers new hope to those battling the disease.

Further, long-term studies are now needed to assess the longer-term safety and efficacy of dostarlimab as a treatment for womb cancer.