'Let me live a little longer'

A grandfather who has terminal liver cancer has twice been refused a drug which he says could prolong his life.

Mike Rawson, 66, of Howden, was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in February.

He has been left reeling after NHS East Riding of Yorkshire's exceptional treatments panel twice refused to fund the drug sorafenib, a type of biological therapy available elsewhere in Europe and America.

Mr Rawson, a grandfather of two, said he is devastated by the decision.

"I feel like I have been let down," he said."I was expecting to get accepted. The drug is the only thing I have got to go on. Nothing else will extend my life.

"It is growing inside me and while no one is treating it, it's got to be getting worse."

According to Cancer Research UK, sorafenib was approved in Europe as a treatment for HCC in October 2007.

The charity said one trial has shown sorafenib can help people with liver cancer to live longer when it cannot be treated by surgery.

Mr Rawson said: "I'm fit enough at the moment and it's not too aggressive, but it's terminal and it's just gradually going to get worse.

"I haven't had any treatment whatsoever. I've been told it can't be treated – chemotherapy won't touch it and radiotherapy won't either.

"But rather than just accept it, I might as well go down the road of fighting it."

Mr Rawson contacted David Davis to ask for his support.

The Haltemprice and Howden MP has since written to NHS East Riding of Yorkshire about case.

He said: "My constituents should not face a postcode lottery, which is what this amounts to.

"He should get the treatment.

"We all pay vast amounts of money in to the health service and you would expect people to get given the drugs they need.

"In 2007, there were experiments that showed it worked with a 44 per cent improvement in survival.

"It clearly works and it is therefore just a case of cost effectiveness."

A spokesman for NHS East Riding of Yorkshire said: "We have carefully considered Mr Rawson's case twice through our exceptional treatments panel process.

"Panel members considered the latest appraisal consultation by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the recommendations of the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

"Neither of these recommends the use of sorafenib for hepatocellular cancer and panel members did not approve treatment on grounds of clinical and cost effectiveness.

"If there is further clinical information or evidence the panel will always reconsider individual cases."