Dr Fight to Save Man's Sight with Banned Cancer Drug as NHS Leaves Him to Go Blind

A leading cancer specialist is battling to save the sight and life of a 70-year-old man whose aggressive facial tumour has been allowed to spread unchecked for years - after the NHS denied him access to a drug that could shrink the disease.

Dr James Wilson, a private oncologist, says his patient, Sergei Ouvarov, 70, from Birmingham, urgently needs vismodegib, a breakthrough pill that could reduce the tumour spreading through his face. But current NHS guidelines ban the drug unless a patient has multiple skin tumours - not just one, however destructive.

"This man's tumour is destroying his eye," said Dr Wilson. "His only option he has been offered in the NHS is to have his eyelids sewn shut. My main concern for thim is that the tumour is now approaching the other eye. This drug could shrink the tumour significantly.
The rules are far too rigid - we need common sense and clinical discretion."

He says the drug, which costs £8,000 a month, is not available on the NHS for cases like Mr Sergei's due to inflexible NICE recommendations. Dr Wilson and Mr Sergei's family are now urging the government to review the criteria to allow access for exceptional, DISABLING single-tumour cases.

Sergei's daughter Mariya Ouvarova, 36, has submitted a formal complaint to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, accusing NHS teams of five years of failure, broken promises and neglect, which she says left her father's cancer to spread unchecked.

"We were told he'd get follow-up after radiotherapy in 2019 - but with Covid, that never happened," Mariya said.
"By the time he was seen again in 2024, the tumour had spread into his nose, face, eye - and now possibly the bone. We've been offered surgery, then had it cancelled. We were told chemo would happen - then it wasn't possible.
Now they've offered nothing."

She added: "This drug could be his last hope - but they won't give it because he's only got one tumour, even though it's spreading through his face. We are devastated and frustrated."

Mr Sergei, a retired auto mechanic, was first diagnosed with the skin cancer - known as basal cell carcinoma - on his cheek in 2019. He underwent radiotherapy, which initially shrank the growth, and was told follow-ups would be arranged. But then Covid struck - and no further appointments came.

"We waited and waited," said Mariya. "And while we waited, the tumour just kept growing."

When Mr Sergei registered with a new GP in August 2024 the cancer had spread to his eyelid, cheek, and nose. A new referral to Queen Elizabeth Hospital led to months of scans and tests. He was eventually told in November 2024 that he was being prepared for major surgery - with a risk of losing an eye.

"My dad was terrified but relieved that something was finally happening," Mariya said. "We went through lung tests, heart scans, CT scans, everything."

But in January 2025, the operation was cancelled due to kidney problems that should have been known months earlier, Mariya said.

The family was then offered a smaller surgery in March - by which time the tumour had already invaded the bone AROUND THE EYE. Chemotherapy was then offered, but once again, nothing happened for weeks.

"I kept chasing the hospital, leaving messages, emailing. No one responded. Finally, I was told the plastic surgeon was on holiday. It was April by then. And we were told chemo wasn't an option either - again, because of his kidneys."

In May, they were offered one final NHS appointment. Instead of the treatment they'd been led to expect, a different surgeon came in to explain why nothing could be done.

"We walked out of that room feeling totally abandoned. That's when we decided to find a private cancer specialist."

Dr Wilson says the NICE restrictions are outdated and too restrictive: "Vismodegib is a targeted drug. For a patient like Sergei - with no surgical or radiotherapy options - it's a potential lifeline. Yet NICE only approves it for multiple tumours. There's no room for clinical discretion, no humanity. That needs to change."

Mr Sergei's tumour is now so advanced he barely eaves the house. It leaks blood and fluid constantly, and he is in severe pain and emotional distress.

"He's ashamed of his appearance, depressed and isolated," Mariya said. "He doesn't want to be seen like this."

Mariya, who lives in Stoke-on-Trent and also cares for her mother, said the toll has been devastating:

"I've been chasing doctors, travelling, pleading for answers. We were promised dates and treatment over and over - and got nothing."

The formal complaint was lodged with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in June 2025, and the trust has acknowledged it, promising a response within 30 days.

A NICE spokesperson said: "NICE does not recommend vismodegib for adults with advanced basal cell carcinoma unsuitable for surgery or radiotherapy. This is because there is limited evidence on how long it helps people live compared with best supportive care.

"We can review guidance if significant nee evidence or information became available that could change the decision."