Cancer drug to be made available for home use

Cork University Hospital has become the first in Ireland to offer Herceptin in the home. Eligible patients can self-administer the treatment in the comfort of their home.

Herceptin is a life-saving drug that is used to fight HER-2 positive breast cancer by stopping the cells from spreading and helping the body to destroy these cells.

It is a maintenance drug prescribed for people following their cancer surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, and patients receive it via injection every three weeks for life.

Helen O’Shea, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Project Lead said: “This programme gives people freedom to have treatment at home. They have a blood test locally at the GP and once cleared for treatment, it is delivered to them by courier, stored in the fridge and on the appointed day, they can inject themselves at any time and go about their lives.

“It’s ideal for women who are well used to this treatment already and we will always follow-up with phone calls to see how they are getting on,” she said.

The programme will also be used to inform the wider development of home-based and community-supported Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) pathways across Cork and Kerry.

Sheila Leopold, Integrated Health Area Service Lead, HSE South West, said that the programme was an example of how regional collaboration can support innovation and transformation.

“We have brought together multidisciplinary expertise to develop a pathway that brings specialist cancer treatment closer to patients’ homes, while maintaining the standards of quality and safety.

“This demonstrates the value of co-ordinated working across our region, enabling us to deliver more integrated, person-centred care and bring specialist services closer to home,” she said.

A further roll-out of the programme to hospitals across Cork and Kerry is also envisioned.

Jane Shanahan, Director of Nursing, Dunmanway Day Care Centre, CUH said: “We have women who have been travelling in here to CUH every three weeks since 2009, having to wait, get their injection and travel home again.

“This is a gamechanger for people with a busy life, not having to arrange childcare, time off work or deal with the traffic and parking,” she said.

The Herceptin in the Home programme has been supported by the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), reflecting a shared commitment to advancing innovative, patient-centred models of cancer care.