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EditorialRarer cancersA cancer may be defined as ‘rarer’ if it affects anunusual site in the body, or because the cancer itselfis of an unusual type or requires special treatment. [1]Further informationGeoff Heyes, Senior PublicAffairs OfficerMacmillan Cancer Support020 7840 4843gheyes@macmillan.org.ukReference1Rarer CancersFoundation. What isa rarer cancer? www.rarercancers.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=2(accessed 5 July 2012).DownloadImproving access? Reporton the implementation ofthe Cancer Drugs Fundand the development of avalue-based pricing system.December 2011. MacmillanCancer Support.Visit macmillan.org.uk/improvingaccessPeople with rarer cancers often feelisolated. They may have never heardof their illness or not know anyone elsewith it. Health professionals may alsolack knowledge about their type ofcancer. This issue of Mac Voice focuseson treatment and support for peoplewith rarer cancers.One of the key difficulties peoplewith rarer cancers face is securingaccess to drugs and treatment.Because there will only be a smallnumber of people who need aparticular drug, they are oftenexpensive to develop and produce.As a result, the drugs are often notapproved for NHS funding.The Cancer Drugs Fund waslaunched in England last yearfollowing a successful campaign byMacmillan. The fund was created toimprove access to cancer drugs thataren’t routinely available on the NHS.However, the fund comes to an endin 2014. Macmillan believes it hasprovided some important lessons forthe future, which are set out in thereport, Improving access?. Crucially,we argue that the drugs currentlyavailable through the fund mustcontinue to be funded by the NHSonce it ends.The Westminster government isin the process of developing a new‘value-based’ system for the pricingof drugs. Macmillan is working withthe Department of Health on what‘value’ means for people with cancer,but it's essential that any new systemimproves access to drugs for peoplewith rarer cancers.For more about access to treatmentin the UK, visit macmillan.org.uk/accesstotreatmentLooking for an articlefrom last year?You can now accessissues of MacVoice from spring2011 onwards atmacmillan.org.uk/macvoicewww.macmillan.org.uk/macvoice 3