So yet another cancer patient is denied a drug which could possibly prolong his life.

Well-known motorcycle dealer Jim Wheeler in terminally ill with cancer and like others before him, his request to be given Sunitinib has been refused.

Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust has decided in its wisdom that it is not justified in his case.

Yet if Mr Wheeler lived in such places as Gloucestershire, Birmingham and Greater Manchester, there is a chance he would be given the drug.

It is another case of the postcode lottery - you might get it if you live in the right area.

No-one is suggesting that Mr Wheeler has any long-term hope of beating his cancer.

But Sunitinib might well give him a little longer in this world.

No wonder he and his family are distraught at the PCT's stance.

Sadly, it is not the first time our PCT has adopted this heartbreaking policy - we are told that 15 patients have been denied the drug.

Although the drug is licensed for use in the UK, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which decrees what treatments should be used by the NHS, has yet to decide about Sunitinib.

Although some PCTs have broken ranks and agred to issue it, others, including Oxfordshire, are sitting back waiting.

Meanwhile, Mr Wheeler and others are effectively being told that they are not worth a few extra months of life.

We know it is an expensive drug, but we hope the PCT will reconsider its decision swiftly.

It is nonsense when patients in some parts of the country can be given life-extending drugs, while others elsewhere are refused them.

It is time the Government intervened and adopted a universal policy.

Patients deserve the same treatment, wherever they live.