Around 130 people per year with untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer will be eligible for a new life-extending treatment after NICE published final draft guidance on 30 September 2021 recommending atezolizumab.  This was after new evidence was gathered on the use and impact of Atezolizumab through being made available through the Cancer Drugs Fund.  Good news for these patients.  We hope NICE feel able to approve other new therapies for bladder cancer currently going through the NICE approval process - they are much needed.

 People with advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer to get life-extending treatment | News and features | News | NICE

30 September 2021

Atezolizumab (also known as Tecentriq and made by Roche) has been recommended by NICE for people whose tumour expresses PD-L1 (a protein which prevents the body's immune system killing the cancer cells) at a level of 5% of more and when platinum-containing chemotherapy is unsuitable.

The recommendation comes after additional clinical evidence which showed that people who have atezolizumab are likely to live up to 8 months longer than those who have platinum-containing chemotherapy was collected as part a Cancer Drugs Fund managed access agreement.