The Sussex Cancer Fund is delighted to have provided new blood pressure monitors for the team of a new Thyroid Cancer Treatment clinic in Brighton.
A new treatment for Metastatic Thyroid Cancer (Lenvatinib) has been developed which has shown a 25% tumour reduction in 8 weeks with a 65% patient response rate. Until recently this treatment was only available in London. This has meant that patients as far away as Eastbourne have had to travel to London for treatment or for those unable to travel that far, have forgone the treatment and suffered disease progression.
A Team from the Sussex Cancer Centre, Jo Simpson, Consultant Oncologist, Katie Wakeham, Consultant Oncologist, Amy Gough, Head, Neck & Thyroid Cancer Nurse Specialist and Robyn Payne, Head and Neck Clinical Nurse Specialist- Supportive Care sought to bring the treatment to Brighton.
As with many treatments there are side effects, the most severe of these was that 70% of patients are at risk from Cardiac Toxicity – i.e. high blood pressure. However, this is easy to treat but needs to be detected early. In order for the new clinic to take place, there was a need to monitor blood pressure regularly – at least daily. The Sussex Cancer Fund stepped in to provide the necessary blood pressure monitors. These blood pressure monitors, are to be issued to each patient so they are able to monitor their own blood pressure at home between their weekly clinic visits.
Two patients currently receiving treatment at Guy’s Hospital will be given the choice to switch to Brighton from next week, the weeks following will see the clinic rolled out to receive more patients, initially treating 6 new patients at a time, for weekly monitoring, but many more when on routine follow up (monthly).
The Sussex Cancer Fund is delighted to have supported the team with the ‘at-home’ blood pressure monitors giving more patients in Sussex access to this groundbreaking treatment.
If you would like to help the Sussex Cancer Fund help even more patients you can make a donation below.
