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[Your address]
RE: Regorafenib and Cancer Drugs Fund cuts
Dear [Name of MP],
I am writing to you concerning the recent changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).
The drug Regorafenib (Stivarga®) was approved last year as 3rd line treatment for
patients with advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour (GIST - a rare type of cancer
found in the digestive system). Regorafenib is used to treat GIST cancer that is
unresponsive existing drugs Imatinib and Sunitinib. It has proved very successful in
this situation; stopping disease growth or causing significant shrinkage, and is better
tolerated in many patients. Younger patients with a rare form of “Wildtype” GIST
respond very well to Regorafenib where other treatments have not been effective. In
fact it was fast-tracked for approval in the US for use by the FDA because of how
successfully it faired in clinical trials.
The withdrawal of this drug from the fund means patients whose GIST cancer is
inoperable or has spread widely and is not contained by 1st and 2nd line treatments will
have no other treatment options available and will die sooner than might have been
the case with this drug when their cancer grows out of control. Regorafenib enables
patients to live for considerably longer, providing invaluable time with families, whilst
research for further treatments continues.
The removal of regorafenib for GIST treatment is an error due to the misclassification
of GIST as a common cancer, when it is in fact very rare. The use of the drug for a
completely different form of cancer (colorectal/bowel cancer) was used as the basis
for the delisting.
"Best supportive care" for GIST cancer patients is all that is on offer to GIST cancer
patients in the absence of Regorafenib. When we know that regorafenib works, this is
not an acceptable option.
As a member of your constituency I politely request you raise this issue in parliament,
indicating the devastating impacts this decision will have to GIST cancer patients within
the UK. Please appeal for the decision to be reconsidered and for Regorafenib to be
reinstated on the CDF list.
Please see press release from the charity ‘GIST Support UK’ for further details:
http://www.gistsupportuk.com/docs/PRESS%20RELEASES/press-release-cdfwithdrawal-of-regorafenib-final-16-1-2015.pdf
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]