AVASTIN is the trade name of drug Bevacizumab, which has been approved for use in America since 2004 and has a licence to be prescribed in the UK.

It has yet to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) so cannot be funded on the NHS as a matter of course for cancer patients.

But, if patients can prove they are "exceptional" cases and would benefit from the drug, an application can be made to PCTs to pay for it.

Between January and March, Stoke-on-Trent PCT approved 10 cases, at a cost of £81,265, from the 18 applied for.

The drug works by inhibiting tumour growth by blocking the formation of new blood vessels.