麻豆社

Extraordinary medical advances are transforming lives, but some patients are at the very frontier of what is possible - and affordable - for the NHS. With an estimated deficit of 拢850 million across England's hospitals alone and a big expansion of new treatment options, the NHS faces ethical and financial challenges in treating patients who want expensive or unproven drugs to prolong their lives.

51-year-old Glendon from Preston has glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumour. Since being diagnosed 14 months ago, he has spent ten hours a day Googling his condition in the hope of living longer. Glendon has identified an immunotherapy drug, the effectiveness of which is not yet fully proven for his type of cancer, and so the drug is not licensed and available on the NHS. Undeterred, Glendon wants to self-fund a course of the drug and comes to Charing Cross Hospital's private wing to see oncologist Dr Matt Williams. The drug Glendon wants costs up to 拢30,000 per round.

At Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, 44-year-old Nicky from Devon has travelled to receive NHS treatment not available at her local hospital. Nicky has ovarian cancer, which has relapsed. To extend her life, she needs a radical operation to remove it. Professor Christina Fotopoulou is one of the few NHS surgeons in the country to offer this potentially life-prolonging surgery. Nicky also wants to take a promising drug to fight her cancer but it is currently only available on the NHS once she has had three courses of chemotherapy, and she is only just about to start her second. So she is attempting to crowdfund the 拢60,000 needed to buy the drug herself.