Take-at-home brain cancer treatment for children will soon be available on NHS
Children with brain tumours will soon have access to drugs they can take at home, the NHS has announced.
The treatment is a first of its kind and clinical trials have shown it to significantly slow the progression of the disease, allowing children a better quality of life for longer.
The treatment is for children and young people with low-grade gliomas that have a specific genetic mutation.
Aaliyah has been taking dabrafenib and trametinib as part of a trial
It means they can be spared the harsh side effects that can come with chemotherapy.
It combines two drugs – dabrafenib and trametinib – and has been found to stop the disease progressing for more than three times as long as standard chemotherapy.
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Sky News has been following 12 year-old Aaliyah’s progress as she underwent trials for the new treatment.
She has been taking dabrafenib and trametinib as part of a study at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
“I’m able to just take tablets twice a day and go to the hospital every few months, rather than be in hospital to have chemotherapy,” Aaliyah said.
“I’ve been able to start secondary school with my friends and go to pretty much all my lessons. I’ve also been able to be at home, rather than staying in hospital for treatment, and carry on my hobbies such as majorette.”
Following a green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the treatment will now be available on the NHS in the coming months for people aged one to 7 with low-grade or high-grade gliomas that have a BRAF V600E mutation.
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Gliomas grow in the brain or spinal cord and can be low-grade, where tumours grow slowly, or high-grade, where they grow more rapidly and can often be fatal.
The combination treatment, which is given at home rather than in hospital, works by targeting the proteins made by the altered BRAF gene that is responsible for uncontrollable tumour growth.
Around 150 children are diagnosed with low grade gliomas every year in the UK and around 30 are diagnosed with high grade gliomas.
Up to one fifth have a mutation in their BRAF gene which makes the tumours more resistant to chemotherapy.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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