Posted by Michael Wonder on 30 Jul 2018
Julia McNicol doesn't have enough cancer to get the drugs she needs to fight it
30 July 2018 - Julia McNicol has a rare and aggressive skin cancer, but can't access public funding for the treatment drug Keytruda because the disease has not spread far enough through her body yet.
The 60-year-old Napier woman has stage 3C acral melanoma. Problems emerged after an accidental slicing of her finger in December, which refused to heal.
Specialists recommended the drug Keytruda, which is fully-funded by Pharmac for people with advanced stage 3-4 melanoma, which has spread and cannot be removed by surgery.
Unfortunately, McNicol is not eligible as it has not travelled "to a lung, or elsewhere, yet", she said.
