AN Oxford cancer patient given a year to live has won the right to have a life-prolonging drug following a three-month battle with NHS managers.

Stephen Dallison is celebrating after Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust reversed its decision to deny him the £2,500-a-month drug Sunitinib following advice from an unnamed independent expert.

But the 33-year-old, from Iffley Road, and his supporters are still bitter he was forced to overcome the postcode lottery in the first place.

The drug is licensed for use in the UK, but the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) - which approves drugs for the NHS - is not expected to make a decision about Sunitinib until January 2009, allowing PCTs to deny its use.

But it is given to people in some areas, including Birmingham, Gloucestershire and Greater Manchester.

Mr Dallison, a physicist who works at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in July.

He said: "I'm very relieved the PCT has finally agreed to allow me to have Sunitinib, but angry we've had to go through all this.

"Ironically, I've started another treatment in Manchester called High Dose Interleukin-2 which is very intensive and means I have to stay in hospital while I have it, which has got to be more expensive. I just don't know how they work these things out.

"I won't know until next year whether this treatment is working or not, after my next scan in January or February, but at least I won't have to go through Christmas not knowing whether I can have Sunitinib."

Mr Dallison's St Clement's Surgery GP Dr Tia MacGregor said: "I'm so happy. This is the best bit of news I've had for a while. I just wish Stephen hadn't had to go through this."

Sunitinib cuts off the blood supply to the existing kidney tumour, by stopping blood vessels reaching it, and prevents new cancer spreading.

Although it is not a cure, it can prolong patients' lives, and research shows the disease is stabilised in a third of people using the medication.

Oxfordshire PCT managers initially said Mr Dallison's clinical circumstances were not exceptional.

But a spokesman said: "Currently Oxfordshire PCT doesn't routinely fund Sunitinib for the treatment of renal cancer. All requests have to be assessed in line with PCT standard protocols and procedures.

"It's always difficult to introduce new drugs when it's not clear who will benefit most."