Terminally-ill Rose Harrison, of Barlby, spent six months begging North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust to fund the new life-prolonging drug Sunitib, but was eventually forced to pay the £10,000 cost herself.

But now the drug has stopped working, brave Rose has vowed to spend her last few weeks of life battling on to ensure other families don't endure the same heartache.

She said: "Nobody with cancer should ever have to pay for the drugs they need to prolong their life. It's just not fair. That's why I want to keep fighting my case with the PCT.

"It's too late for me, but I can still try to help prevent other people in my situation having to go through the same battle in the future."

Rose, who has two children and three grandchildren, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of kidney cancer last April. When it failed to respond to chemotherapy, she learned the new treatment Sunitib could extend her life expectancy. But health bosses refused to pay for it after the PCT's High Cost Treatment Board decided it shouldn't be routinely prescribed. Doctors now say she's unlikely to live beyond April.

Rose is backed by MP John Grogan, who said: "Mrs Harrison has been incredibly brave in allowing her case to be fought out in public and I hope lessons will be learnt.

"The National Institute for Clinical Excellence needs to become quicker at issuing guidelines on new drugs, and where NHS improvements and extra cash are concerned, I think cancer care would be near the top of most people's priority lists."

A PCT spokesman said: "The PCT has a responsibility to consider the evidence base for the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a treatment for that particular patient, alongside a responsibility to prioritise our resources based on the overall health needs of the population we serve.

"The PCT is always willing to review individual cases if a patient's consultant is able to provide additional clinical or evidence-based information that may demonstrate this patient has exceptional circumstances."