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The cancer drugs we don't know about

 We may be one of the world's richest nations but Britain is around four years behind other countries which have access to new cancer drugs that could save thousands of lives.

While certain cancer drugs - fresh out of clinical trials - are widely available in other parts of the world such as Sweden and America, many British cancer patients are unaware that these newer, more effective drugs even exist.

Evidence shows that some drugs - such as herceptin - can keep breast cancer at bay and prolong lives for up to six months. And other drugs including Glivec used to treat chronic leukaemia - can stop the development of cancer altogether.

A recent study by Professor Gordon McVie of the Cancer Research Campaign found that British cancer sufferers have to wait on average four years for new cancer drugs. This compares to just three months in Sweden.

And, found Gordon McVie, anti-cancer drugs take half the time to reach American patients compared to the long delays experienced by British cancer sufferers.

The study also reveals that out of fifteen European countries, Britain is the last country to receive new drugs, except for Greece. It also points out that the breast cancer drug herceptin, which is still not widely available on the NHS, took three times longer to be made available in Britain than viagra - the popular impotence drug.

So why does it take so long for British patients to receive the latest cancer drugs?

The problem stems from lengthy assessments and bureaucratic prodecures according to Kate Law, head of clinical trials at the Cancer Research Campaign.

There are often delays going through the Medicines Control Agency - the body that licenses drugs after assessing data that proves they are safe and effective.

Then it must go through a separate system called the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) - a body set up two years ago by the Department of Health which issues guidance to the NHS on medicines and clinical procedures.

'The idea behind NICE is to help end the post code lottery - where only certain patients could get drugs depending on where they lived. It also helps the NHS deliver health care by focusing on the most cost-effective treatments,' explains Kate Law.

'The problem is that assessing evidence from clinical trials is a lengthy process and can take several months. And, because NICE is relatively new, it is experiencing a backlog of drugs to consider. Such delays means that access to breakthrough treatments for cancer arrive too late for some patients.'

'Also, when the drugs are finally assessed, many are recommended to NHS doctors as a second line of attack and not for early cancers. This means patients are expected to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Often by the time the drugs are prescribed for advanced cancer it could be too late to save those lives.'

Although in some cases, a British doctor has been prepared to take responsibility for giving patients drugs not available in the UK, this is rare.

Those who can afford it consider travelling to other European countries and America - where anti-cancer drugs take as little as three months to pass through licensing procedures. This is partly due to more efficient administration and more money being pumped into health systems.

However, funding your own cancer treatment is an expensive business. The cost of cancer drugs can cost anything from £2,000 to £50,000 per course. Some patients need between six and ten courses.

And, according to The Cancer Research Campaign, travelling abroad for cancer drugs needs careful consideration.

'Cancer tends to strike older people - 70 per cent of people over 70 get cancer. The last thing people who may have only a few months to live want to do is travel long distances when they really want to be close to family members.'