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NHS to begin offering new one-minute jab to women with ‘aggressive’ form of cancer

It follows successful clinical trials.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st July 2026

The NHS is set to begin offering new immunotherapy for hundreds of women with aggressive cervical cancer across the country.

Pembrolizumab – which experts have described as being able to ‘take the handbrake off’ the body’s immune system to target cancer – will now be presented as a new treatment option for women in England with locally-advanced cervical cancer, which means the cancer has grown beyond the cervix to regions such as the pelvic wall, but not yet spread further around the body.

Trials found that adding pembrolizumab to standard chemoradiotherapy helped keep cancer ‘at bay’ for longer, and improved survival rates overall.

Two years after starting the treatment, nearly seven in 10 patients (68%) were still living without their cancer progressing, compared with 57% for those receiving chemoradiotherapy alone, according to NHS figures.

The trial also found that 82.6% of patients were still alive three years after treatment with pembrolizumab and chemoradiotherapy, compared with 74.8% with chemoradiotherapy alone.

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The drug is either given every three or siz weeks via an infusion, or as a ‘one-minute’ injection, alongside chemoradiotherapy.

The NHS estimates around 550 patients in England will be eligible for the treatment – which has been approved this week by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – over the next two years.

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Patients will now receive fast-tracked access, funded by NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund.

“This is great news for women facing a diagnosis of aggressive cervical cancer, and represents one of the biggest improvements in treatment for this disease in recent years,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer.

“Combining this immunotherapy with existing treatment has had very positive effect for patients in trials, helping the body’s immune system to target cancer more effectively.

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“We’re delighted it will be available for patients on the NHS as it could help hundreds more women survive and stay cancer-free in the long-term.”

Featured Image – NappyStudio (via Unsplash)


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Andy Burnham wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Andy Burnham has set out his vision for the country if he is to become Prime Minister.

In case you need brining up to speed first, after it was announced earlier this month that Andy Burnham had clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231, he then went onto announce his intention to run for Labour Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, after Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down.

And this week, Mr Burnham has now delivered his first speech as part of his ongoing campaign, addressing how he plans to give the country a ‘new direction’.

Burnham says that he wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster.

A lot has been discussed and reported on when it comes to Burnham’s intentions to create a so-called Number 10 North here in Manchester, but what exactly does it mean to take the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to the capital?

“The Greater Manchester way is based on strong partnership between all sectors: public, private,
community, voluntary, academic, faith, and our trade unions,” Burnham said in his speech.

He continued: “When I started as Mayor in 2017, we set about building a new approach, a new politics based on the exact opposite of the Westminster approach.

“Place-first, not party-first. Problem-solving, not point-scoring. Long-term, not short-term.

“A decade on, it’s incredible how much we’ve been able to achieve by working together instead
of fighting against one another.”

Burnham said he feels the truth is that the country spends ‘too much time arguing and not enough time doing’ and that for Britain to get back where it ‘should be’, his Government would ask everyone to ‘face the same way’ and then ‘pull in that same direction together’.

He declared that No 10 North will be the ‘nerve centre’ for a rewired Britain.

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“It will be the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK,” he concluded. “It will coordinate all parts of Government, at national and local level, to agree a long-term
economic strategy and help all places set new growth ambitions.”

Featured Image – GMCA


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Body of missing 15-year-old boy recovered from water at Salford country park

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The body of a missing 15-year-old boy has sadly been recovered from the water at a country park in Salford.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called  to reports of a teenager getting in to difficulty in the water at Clifton Country Park in Salford at around 4:51pm this past Saturday (27 June).

Since then, emergency services – including partners from Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) – have been working together to locate the missing boy.

But despite their best efforts, a body was, unfortunately, located in the water yesterday (29 June).

The body was recovered from the water by specialists at North West Under Water Search and Marine Unit, GMP confirmed.

Formal identification is yet to take place, but police are supporting the family of the missing boy in the meantime.

“Saturday’s incident is truly heartbreaking,” commented Detective Inspector Dave Ogden, from the Salford CID.

“My thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of the young boy who has so tragically lost his life. While we are satisfied there are no suspicious circumstances, this incident is an incredibly upsetting reminder of the serious risks associated with open water.

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“We understand people want to make the most of the warm weather, but we would urge everyone to stay safe and avoid entering reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds.

“Please take care and enjoy the weather in a safe way.”

Featured Image – David Dixon (via Geograph)


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