A CANCER patient, who successfully fought to be given a groundbreaking drug on the NHS, has died.

Keith Ditchfield, of Whalley Road, Stonyhurst, died at the Royal Preston Hospital aged 53.

He was the first patient to be granted the drug Nexavar on the NHS in Lancashire, and one of only a few in the country to receive it.

His wife, Helen, said that Nexavar had improved his quality of life for around nine months. Nine weeks ago he had a stroke and fell. He died last Tuesday.

Helen said: "He was always fighting right until the end. He refused to give up and was brave and dignified."

When he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on his right kidney in 2005, he told the Lancashire Telegraph that he took it for granted that the NHS would do all it could to help him.

But he soon lost patience when he was told to wait a month for the operation to remove the tumour on the NHS.

He went private and had it removed 10 days more quickly. But he developed tumours in his neck, rib and spine and he still had renal cancer even though the kidney tumour was removed.

For the neck tumour he went to Germany for cyberknife' surgery, which is not available on the NHS.

He also paid for himself to receive Nexavar, from the same German clinic.

However the drug cost about £3,000 a month, which he said he could just about afford through his hotel renovation business. Keith launched a high-profile campaign to get the treatment on the NHS. And in February he won that fight.

More than 100 people attended his funeral on Wednesday at Accrington crematorium. Helen aims to continue campaigning for kidney cancer drugs and for the cyber knife' treatment to be available in the UK. Donations in memory of Keith can be sent to the kidney unit at Christy's Hospital.