Doctors today hailed a ‘milestone’ moment in ovarian cancer treatment after a drug that gives patients precious extra months was made available on the NHS today.
Ovarian cancer is on the rise in the UK, with 7,700 women diagnosed with the devastating disease every year. Around 60 per cent of these will die from their cancer.
Two thirds of cases are detected at an advanced stage, leaving patients with few options beyond aggressive chemotherapy which eventually stops working.
Historically, the only option for these patients has been palliative care – where treatment focuses on easing symptoms rather than a cure.
Now a targeted therapy, mirvetuximab soravtansine – also known as Elahere, has been shown to give these women four extra months to live.
Dr Rowan Miller, a consultant oncologist at University College London, said: ‘These patients are in a really tricky situation, with a historically really poor prognosis that nothing has been shown to improve.
‘With this drug you’re increasing their survival by 30 per cent and giving them a treatment that’s tolerable, so for this group of patients it’s a significant milestone.
‘We haven’t seen any improvements in this field in over 20 years and to get it available on the NHS is amazing.’
The new treatment is the first in decades to give these women longer to live without their disease progressing, in what doctors have labelled a ‘real milestone’ for ovarian cancer patients
The global trial, involving eight NHS hospitals, found the treatment delayed cancer progression and prolonged survival, moving average survival from 12.8 months to 16.5 months.
More than a third of patients also saw their tumours shrink by at least 30 per cent, compared to just 16 per cent with chemotherapy.
Dr Miller said: ‘It’s not just about the outcomes, but how treatment is tolerated.
‘So the standard for most of these patients is chemotherapy which involves coming up to the hospital every week, and is associated with hair loss, nerve damage, nausea and generally makes patients feel quite unwell.
‘This new treatment is given every three weeks – which in itself is such a big gain in terms of quality of life.This trial gave us results beyond the data.’
The trial, funded by AbbVie UK, tested the treatment in over 450 patients who had become resistant to standard chemotherapy – known as platinum resistant.
Overall survival improved by 30 per cent with few side effects – the most common of which was blurred vision which was reversible and managed with eye-drops.
Mirvetuximab is a FRα‑directed antibody–drug conjugate, which helps the body seek out cancer and deliver chemotherapy directly into those cells.
It’s estimated that there are more than 7,700 new cases of ovarian cancer in the UK each year
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This ‘trojan horse’ therapy allows the drug to target cancer cells more precisely than standard chemotherapy, resulting in far fewer side effects.
Following a recommendation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today, the drug will be available for patients who have become resistant to standard treatment and whose tumours contain the FRα protein the drug targets.
The NHS estimates up to 400 new patients in England a year could benefit, with estimates suggesting around 1,400 could be eligible for treatment.
‘This represents the most significant breakthrough in NHS treatment for these hard-to-treat ovarian cancers in over two decades – and we’re delighted it will now offer hundreds of women much-needed hope of precious extra time with their loved ones,’ Professor Ruth Plummer, NHs national clinical lead for cancer drugs, said.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, added: ‘We heard clearly from patients and clinicians about the very limited options available at this stage of the disease, and the substantial burden that chemotherapy places on women’s lives.
‘We are pleased that we are now able to recommend this treatment for NHS use.’
Dr Miller is now urging patients with advanced ovarian cancer to speak with their oncologist to see if this is something they be eligible for either now or in the future.
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women in the UK. It is often diagnosed at a late stage, when survival is lowest and kills more women a year than the four other gynaecological cancers combined.
IT GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST
Jane was one of the first women in the UK to receive the treatment
When Jane, 58, from Cheshire, was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in 2021, she was told she had only weeks to live.
The disease had already spread and was pressing against a major artery, meaning surgery was not an option.
Her symptoms had crept in slowly: persistent back pain, bloating and weight gain that were repeatedly dismissed as menopause.
But when her abdomen suddenly became severely swollen – and she began losing weight rapidly – her daughter insisted she went to the doctors.
A blood test led to an immediate referral to a gynaecologist, and at just 53 she was told cancer was suspected. Scans and biopsies confirmed advanced ovarian cancer.
She began chemotherapy at The Christie in Manchester, where doctors hoped to shrink the tumours enough to make surgery possible. Against expectations, the treatment worked. Jane underwent major debulking surgery, removing her ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus to cut out as much cancer as possible — a procedure she had initially been told she would never be eligible for.
Maintenance treatments kept the disease at bay for a time, but when her cancer returned and became platinum‑resistant, her options narrowed one again.
Refusing to accept that there were no alternatives, the mother-of-two began researching emerging therapies. That search led her to Elahere.
After tests confirmed she was FRα‑positive, she was accepted onto a clinical trial — becoming one of the first women in the UK to receive it on 5 May.
She has now received her second treatment and is awaiting a scan to see if her tumours have shrunk.
‘I feel incredibly grateful,’ she said. ‘Being on this treatment has given me hope again at a time when options can feel limited.’
With the drug now approved for NHS use, Jane says the decision represents ‘fairness, consistency and real progress’ for women with ovarian cancer.
‘More than anything, this path has shown me what truly matters,’ she added. ‘More time, to live in the moment, look for the glimmers in every day. Being there for the people that matter. That is why access to treatments like Elahere matters so deeply — not just for me, but for every family hoping for more time together.
‘No one should have to rely on geography or a clinical trial to access a treatment that could make a difference. For many families, this decision will mean more time together — and that is everything.’
