Drugs used to treat two rare cancers have been turned down for routine use by the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) advised against the medicines as it ruled the cost outweighed the benefits, despite being allowed more flexibility around the decision since they are used to treat…

Health officials have taken a "backwards step" in breast cancer care after recommending that a genetic test should no longer be used on the NHS, a charity has said. The Oncotype DX test - which helps to predict the risk of breast cancer recurrence and whether or not a patient…

Cancer cells can be targeted and destroyed more effectively using a substance found in stinging nettles and ants, research has found. The new treatment, named JPC11, can be recycled and reused within affected cells to attack them repeatedly, according to a study by the University of Warwick. It is hoped…

The NHS continues to miss key cancer waiting times, as new figures showed a third of patients in one health board area had to wait more than two months for treatment to get underway. NHS data showed that from July to September 87.2% of all cancer patients across Scotland started…

A new treatment which can halt the spread of breast cancer for up to two years for terminally ill patients has been approved for use by the NHS in Scotland. Campaigners welcomed the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)'s backing for the drug palbociclib, hailing it as a "wonderful decision" and "great…

There are to be 300 more radiographers employed by the NHS in England, ministers have announced as experts have warned of a "crisis" in the diagnostic workforce. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has made the pledge as part of the NHS's Cancer Workforce Plan. Charity Breast Cancer Now said that the…

Terminally ill people should stop being forced to "self-certify" they have only months to live in order to claim Universal Credit, an SNP MP will tell the Commons. Drew Hendry is set to use an adjournment debate to criticise the "heartless new requirement" for Universal Credit claimants, even if they…

A radical new immune therapy developed from cases of "miraculous" cancer recovery could be tested on patients as early as next year. Scientists have found a way to screen potent cancer-killing immune cells from donor blood and multiply them by the million. The neutrophil cells form part of the body's…

A new project to transform the aftercare and improve the quality of life for cancer survivors is being delivered by Sheffield Hallam University thanks to a £2.5million funding award by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Barts Health NHS Trust and…

Thousands of women with previously untreatable breast cancer have been given new hope after health officials approved two new "breakthrough" drugs for NHS use. In new draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has approved palbociclib and ribociclib for widespread use in the health service in…

A cancer charity has appointed its first digital nurse to combat online "fake news" about the disease. Macmillan Cancer Support fears patients are turning to unverified websites for information that leaves them needlessly frightened and at risk of bogus cures. The charity points to one online search that brings up…

Cancer charities have urged the NHS to ensure sufferers are not affected by cyber attacks in future. Some 139 people with referrals over possible diagnosis of the disease saw appointments cancelled by May's global WannaCry attack which crippled health service computers. They were among almost 19,500 appointments lost to the…