A WOMAN battling cancer needs to raise thousands of pounds to fund treatment not available on the NHS.

Gemma Epstein, from Haslingden, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2016.

Since then, she has had all the treatments available to her on the NHS, but was given the devastating news last May that the cancer had spread to her lungs.

And Gemma was also told recently that her tumours have got worse and new ones have appeared, while she has been told chemotherapy she has been having at The Christie in Manchester is no longer working for her.

Now she has enquired about some treatment available only in Germany, a trial that could possibly be lifesaving but has an estimated cost of upwards of £90,000.

Gemma is currently not having any treatment for her cancer.

To help her, a fundraising appeal has been launched by friends in a bid to raise money for her to have treatment.

Gemma, 36, who lives with partner Ben Greenwood, said: “Unfortunately, the tumours have got worse and new ones have appeared.

“I’ve been told the chemo isn’t working anymore and there’s no trials available at this moment.”

Gemma said her tissue sample is going to be sent by The Christie to America for further testing to see if they can find anything else that may help to treat her, but she fears she will have to pay privately for treatment.

She said: “It will take four weeks to hear back about the sample and I’ve not heard anything else about the trial in Germany.

“I’ve been told by The Christie that all options have been exhausted for chemotherapy and that there are no trials available.

“I think it’s terrible that there isn’t anything on the NHS.

“It will probably mean I have to go private if no other treatment can be found.

“All of this has been a massive shock to me as I’d felt so well and that everything was fine.

“I’m just trying to stay as positive as I can and hopefully as much money as possible can be raised,” said Gemma.

Fundraising events for Gemma will see a charity event take place at St Mary’s Football Club in Haslingden on Saturday.

It will include a charity football match, live music, bouncy castle, face-painting and food.

Tickets are £5 and children go free.

A spokesman for The Christie said: “We know how hard it can be for patients who have been given a cancer diagnosis and understand their need to explore all treatment options, including treatment abroad.

“The Christie provides the full range of licensed treatments in standard practice. New therapies including types of immunotherapy are evaluated through rigorous research trials, and wherever possible we offer patients access to these if the trial is suitable for their situation and type of cancer. We understand that some patients will want to pursue all options including those currently unavailable through the NHS, although some of these may lack evidence for their effectiveness.

“The Christie is at the forefront of developing new and successful treatments for many types of cancer. At any given time there are more than 650 clinical trials open at The Christie.”

To donate to Gemma, visit the Just Giving Page set up by her friend Nicola Cadden-Kay - https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/n-kayskydiveforgem.