Jamie Scott, 49, works in communications for an NHS mental health trust. She was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2011, and the cancer has since spread to her liver. She needs chemosaturation treatment (percutaneous hepatic perfusion), which delivers high-dose chemotherapy directly to the liver. NICE has approved the procedure for NHS use under special arrangements, yet she has been told she cannot access it through the health service. She has currently raised £6,700 of the £120,000 required.

Ms Scott says she feels desperate and fears there will be a point when too much tumour in her liver makes the treatment unviable, and that by then NHS decisions may be too late. A colleague has organised bake sales and produced T-shirts with a QR code for her JustGiving page to support the fundraising.

Ocular Melanoma UK has called on NHS leaders to intervene. It says the treatment has been shown to slow or control tumours in around nine in ten patients whose cancer has spread to the liver, with some surviving for years after treatment. NICE says patients can receive the therapy under special arrangements while more evidence is gathered on its clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, but notes there are serious complications. The treatment costs around £40,000 per cycle, with most patients requiring at least three rounds. International patients can travel to the UK for treatment, but British patients are being asked to self-fund. Jo Gumbs, OMUK’s chief executive, criticised NHS England for inaction; retired liver surgeon Dr Neil Pearce described the access gap as indefensible. NHS England has been contacted for comment. Ms Scott’s fundraising page is at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jamie-scott-chemosat-treatment.