TWO terminally-ill cancer patients gatecrashed a health trust meeting to ask officials to rethink the decision to deny them life-extending drugs on the NHS.

The families of John Hodgson and Kathleen Devonport accused County Durham Primary Care Trust of handing out life sentences by refusing to offer them a new cancer drug.

Both patients have been told that Sutent is the only treatment left that could help them by stopping the growth of tumours.

Although it is available at NHS hospitals across the UK, patients in County Durham cannot get the treatment because health bosses say it is too expensive.

Patients can appeal to the trust to issue the drugs on an individual basis if they are considered exceptional cases.

At a board meeting of the PCT yesterday, Mr Hodgson's daughter, Judith Gowland, demanded the issues be discussed in public.

She said: "My dad is dying of kidney cancer and this is the only opportunity we have to raise serious questions in public."

Mrs Devonport's husband, Ray, added: "My wife has a life sentence because you won't give her this drug, please hear us out."

But the families were told by chairwoman Ann Calman that the board meeting was an inappropriate forum to discuss individual cases.

The trust's chief executive, Yasmin Chaudhry, and Dr Tricia Cresswell, the director of public health, instead spoke to them privately.

Mr Hodgson, 75, from Ferryhill, and Mrs Devonport, 63, from Chilton, were both told they had lost their appeals for Sutent as they were not considered exceptional cases - despite the backing of specialist consultants.

Mrs Gowland said: "If these two, who have no other treatment options, are not exceptional cases, who is?

"The PCT doesn't have the confidence to make decisions for people they could help in case they have to do the same for others."

The families said the only hope offered to them was an assurance from Dr Cresswell that the trust would again raise the debate with the North-East and Cumbria Cancer Drugs Advisory Group, from which it takes guidance.

Mrs Gowland said: "I have no doubt these drugs will become available eventually.

"It is important for us to keep up the pressure for so many potential patients, even if it comes too late for us."

Dr Cresswell said the trust wanted to respect patient confidentiality, so declined to comment.