A CANCER sufferer from Heath End has earned the chance to try a new drug, after an appeal panel overturned the decision by Surrey PCT not to fund it. The plight of Craig Welch, 38, who has been battling the rare condition known as GIST (gastro intestinal stromal tumours) for six years, was highlighted in The Herald a fortnight ago. The drug that has controlled tumours in his liver for five years was no longer working and unless a new tried and tested drug, Sumniteb, could be substituted, it seemed father-of-two Craig would be left completely without medication. Although Craig's consultant at the Royal Marsden Hospital had asked the PCT to fund it and some other PCTs are funding it for their patients, the initial ruling by Surrey PCT was that "patient specific exceptional circumstances" had not been demonstrated. The appeal panel made up of clinicians from Surrey PCT, which considered the case last Wednesday, nevertheless found the opposite to be the case, according to Craig's wife, Georgina. She said the panel's adjudication made clear that his case was considered an exception - because of the five years that his previous drug had worked successfully and the rarity of GIST occuring at his age. They described it as "an unusual cancer, behaving in an unusual way". Georgina said the family was pleased by the result, but stressed it was "only another chapter in the book, not suddenly a miracle cure". Craig began the new treatment last Friday. Funding initially is only for two cycles of treatment, lasting 12 weeks, after which the case will be re-evaluated. The four-week delay caused by the need to appeal and the stress of bringing their campaign to public attention have inevitably affected Craig, Georgina explained. "Given the choice, we would not have done that. It would have been unneccesary, if they had looked at his case properly in the first place." In a statement concerning the appeal panel's decision, Surrey PCT said: "The panel carefully re- considered the request against clinical, evidence- based criteria, taking into account the new supporting clinical information that was presented. Following this, we can confirm that the panel approved the use of Sunitinib for Mr Welch. "We appreciate this has been a difficult time for Mr Welch and his family but we need to be confident that patients are treated with drugs that are clinically effective." Director of Public Health for the PCT, Dr Ruth Milton explained: "We take every patient's individual circumstances and clinical merits into account in any funding application and subsequent decision. We have to follow due process to ensure a fair and equitable solution is reached that is in the patient's best interests." Farnham's MP Jeremy Hunt, who had made strong representations to the PCT on the family's behalf, commented: "This is wonderful news for Craig. It is also a real tribute to his wife Georgina and all of their friends who moved heaven and earth to get the decision changed. "Half of me is furious that the system allows this kind of thing to happen, but right now I just want to thank Surrey PCT for showing that they can be flexible."
