Retifanlimab, which increased survival rates by 11 months under a trial, will be offered to patients whose cancer has spread or has come back locally and cannot be removed with surgery, following approval by NICE.

Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: ‘Access to this life-extending drug is one of the most significant steps in decades for people living with advanced anal cancer – and this treatment can give them precious extra time with their family and loved ones.

‘For a type of cancer which has become more common, and where very few new treatments have been invented, this represents major progress, and NHS fast-tracking access to the drug means eligible patients can start benefiting from it straight away.'

Retifanlimab, which has been manufactured by pharmaceutical company, Incyte Biosciences, is the first ever immunotherapy specifically approved for advanced anal cancer, offering a new treatment option for patients who have historically had limited treatment choices. Roll out of the drug was funded by NHS England's Cancer Drugs Fund.

Around 1,600 people are diagnosed with anal cancer in the UK each year, with incidence rates increasing significantly over recent decades. While the disease can often be treated successfully when found early, treatment options have previously been much more limited for people with advanced cancer.