THE NHS is to offer cancer patients a “revolutionary” drug that programmes the body to attack rogue cells, in a new era of ‘ultra-personalised’ medicine.

Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS, said the treatment for leukaemia patients will be the first in a “game-changing” class of drugs to get the green light, as the health service responds to major advances in science.

The decision makes England the first country in Europe to fund the drug, which will be funded - within weeks - for children who would otherwise have no hope.

The treatment called CAR-T therapy - has been hailed by scientists as one of the most significant breakthoughs in cancer for decades.

It works by taking a patient’s own white blood cells, and re-engineering them to fight cancer, , before re-injecting them into the body, where they multiply.

Some studies have found that up to nine in ten patients with little hope of survival went into remission after being given such therapy.

The deal struck between Novartis and the NHS is one of the fastest funding approvals in the history of the NHS, and comes 10 days since the drug was licensed for use in Europe.

The treatment would cost a patient around £280,000 privately, but a deal has been struck with the manufacturers to fund it routinely on the NHS, for children and young people suffering from a rare form of leukemia.