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| Ashya King given legal go-ahead for cancer treatment in Prague | Ashya King given legal go-ahead for cancer treatment in Prague |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Ashya King, the five-year-old boy with a brain tumour, will be able to receive specialist treatment in Prague for his cancer, following a dramatic high court ruling on Friday night. | |
| At the end of a week-long battle in which his parents took the boy from Southampton general hospital and became the subject of an international manhunt, a judge ruled that Brett and Naghmeh King could take Ashya to receive proton beam therapy not routinely available on the NHS. | At the end of a week-long battle in which his parents took the boy from Southampton general hospital and became the subject of an international manhunt, a judge ruled that Brett and Naghmeh King could take Ashya to receive proton beam therapy not routinely available on the NHS. |
| But doctors from Southampton, speaking for the first time, told the Guardian that Ashya would not get the extra benefit from the treatment in Prague that his parents wanted, because most of his brain and spine will still have to be irradiated. | |
| They also said that an application to a specialist board for NHS funding for proton beam therapy for Ashya was turned down earlier this week. The NHS funds children under certain circumstances to get proton beam therapy abroad and Southampton has often sent such patients for the treatment, but an application for Ashya to have it was rejected because it offers no benefit over conventional radiotherapy. The side effects will be the same. | They also said that an application to a specialist board for NHS funding for proton beam therapy for Ashya was turned down earlier this week. The NHS funds children under certain circumstances to get proton beam therapy abroad and Southampton has often sent such patients for the treatment, but an application for Ashya to have it was rejected because it offers no benefit over conventional radiotherapy. The side effects will be the same. |
| Dr Peter Wilson, lead paediatrician at Southampton general hospital, said that the boy had wrongly been described as "dying" or "terminally ill" in the media. | Dr Peter Wilson, lead paediatrician at Southampton general hospital, said that the boy had wrongly been described as "dying" or "terminally ill" in the media. |
| Southampton's doctors had done everything possible to help the boy, he said, because he has a good chance of survival, but needs radiotherapy within six weeks of surgery – and it is now six weeks since he had an operation. | Southampton's doctors had done everything possible to help the boy, he said, because he has a good chance of survival, but needs radiotherapy within six weeks of surgery – and it is now six weeks since he had an operation. |
| "Where we have been really misrepresented by the press and the family is where people have talked about a dying child," Wilson said. "Ashya is sick because of the surgery he has had. He has a 70%-80% chance of survival. For every week we do not treat him from this week, his chances of survival decrease." | "Where we have been really misrepresented by the press and the family is where people have talked about a dying child," Wilson said. "Ashya is sick because of the surgery he has had. He has a 70%-80% chance of survival. For every week we do not treat him from this week, his chances of survival decrease." |
| Proton beam therapy holds no advantages in medallublastoma, Ashya's form of cancer, said Wilson. "For this particular tumour, the reason why the proton beam was not deemed to be of any benefit is because you have to irradiate most of the brain and spine anyway." | Proton beam therapy holds no advantages in medallublastoma, Ashya's form of cancer, said Wilson. "For this particular tumour, the reason why the proton beam was not deemed to be of any benefit is because you have to irradiate most of the brain and spine anyway." |
| Radiotherapy is vital following surgery to remove the tumour because any remaining cancer cells have to be destroyed. | Radiotherapy is vital following surgery to remove the tumour because any remaining cancer cells have to be destroyed. |
| Proton beam therapy is commonly thought to be a kinder type of radiotherapy because it does not affect so much healthy tissue. But with this particular tumour, cancerous cells may be anywhere in the brain or spine, so the advantage protons have in treating highly localised tumours, for instance in eyes, is lost. | Proton beam therapy is commonly thought to be a kinder type of radiotherapy because it does not affect so much healthy tissue. But with this particular tumour, cancerous cells may be anywhere in the brain or spine, so the advantage protons have in treating highly localised tumours, for instance in eyes, is lost. |
| Wilson said that doctors had emailed and spoken to the Prague centre before the family disappeared, knowing that was the preference of Ashya's parents. Speaking to the Guardian, Wilson said doctors caring for Ashya had been misrepresented and he categorically denied that they had at any point threatened the parents with removing their rights over decisions about their son's treatment. | Wilson said that doctors had emailed and spoken to the Prague centre before the family disappeared, knowing that was the preference of Ashya's parents. Speaking to the Guardian, Wilson said doctors caring for Ashya had been misrepresented and he categorically denied that they had at any point threatened the parents with removing their rights over decisions about their son's treatment. |
| "We have to be really clear – we never threatened this family. What happened is that during discussions there were obviously disagreements between the paediatric oncology team and the family as to some of the treatment options. The parents asked if we refused any treatment for our child, what would happen to us? What was explained to them was that in certain circumstances, if a parent was to refuse treatment on behalf of their child and it was felt that would be putting the child at risk, we would consider going to the court." | "We have to be really clear – we never threatened this family. What happened is that during discussions there were obviously disagreements between the paediatric oncology team and the family as to some of the treatment options. The parents asked if we refused any treatment for our child, what would happen to us? What was explained to them was that in certain circumstances, if a parent was to refuse treatment on behalf of their child and it was felt that would be putting the child at risk, we would consider going to the court." |
| Southampton hospital staff and the police have faced heavy criticism at the way Ashya's disappearance was handled, with Mr King saying he and his wife had been "treated like terrorists". | Southampton hospital staff and the police have faced heavy criticism at the way Ashya's disappearance was handled, with Mr King saying he and his wife had been "treated like terrorists". |
| He claimed he had previously informed the hospital about his plans to seek proton beam therapy for his son but kept the date that he intended to take him secret, for fear he would be stopped. | He claimed he had previously informed the hospital about his plans to seek proton beam therapy for his son but kept the date that he intended to take him secret, for fear he would be stopped. |
| The hospital alerted the police when it discovered that Ashya and his family had left because doctors were concerned for his safety, said Wilson. | The hospital alerted the police when it discovered that Ashya and his family had left because doctors were concerned for his safety, said Wilson. |
| "This boy had no cough reflex and no gag reflex and was fed via a nasogastric tube," he said. They had no idea the family had taken a feeding machine with a power cable and bags of feed and were worried that Ashya might choke. "If he had vomited and was in a car and not necessarily in the best position and the vomit ended up on his vocal chords or lungs, he could potentially have died," said Wilson, who as an intensive care doctor has seen children in that condition. | "This boy had no cough reflex and no gag reflex and was fed via a nasogastric tube," he said. They had no idea the family had taken a feeding machine with a power cable and bags of feed and were worried that Ashya might choke. "If he had vomited and was in a car and not necessarily in the best position and the vomit ended up on his vocal chords or lungs, he could potentially have died," said Wilson, who as an intensive care doctor has seen children in that condition. |
| The fact that Ashya ended up well in Spain had a lot to do with luck, he said, refuting any suggestion that doctors had exaggerated the danger the boy was in. | The fact that Ashya ended up well in Spain had a lot to do with luck, he said, refuting any suggestion that doctors had exaggerated the danger the boy was in. |
| Ashya's radiotherapy treatment needs to begin this week. In the UK under the gold standard treatment protocol, if there was a delay he would be given chemotherapy. Normally proton beam therapy takes two weeks to set up – a special mask has to be made for the patient. But Prague has told Southampton's doctors that it can expedite Ashya's case and treat him within 4-5 days. | Ashya's radiotherapy treatment needs to begin this week. In the UK under the gold standard treatment protocol, if there was a delay he would be given chemotherapy. Normally proton beam therapy takes two weeks to set up – a special mask has to be made for the patient. But Prague has told Southampton's doctors that it can expedite Ashya's case and treat him within 4-5 days. |
| A review of the role local authorities played in the Ashya King disappearance case was also announced. Portsmouth Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) said it would be examining all the actions involved in the case. | A review of the role local authorities played in the Ashya King disappearance case was also announced. Portsmouth Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) said it would be examining all the actions involved in the case. |
| The couple were held by police in Spain on a European arrest warrant but were freed from Soto del Real prison on Tuesday night after British authorities abandoned their attempts to extradite them, amid a public backlash and following interventions from David Cameron and Nick Clegg. | The couple were held by police in Spain on a European arrest warrant but were freed from Soto del Real prison on Tuesday night after British authorities abandoned their attempts to extradite them, amid a public backlash and following interventions from David Cameron and Nick Clegg. |
| The parents have since been reunited with their son, who is being treated at the Materno-Infantil hospital in the Spanish city of Malaga. | The parents have since been reunited with their son, who is being treated at the Materno-Infantil hospital in the Spanish city of Malaga. |
| In a statement on Friday night, the LSCB said: "The review will look at all the actions involved and the findings will be made public. No further information will be released until the review has concluded." | In a statement on Friday night, the LSCB said: "The review will look at all the actions involved and the findings will be made public. No further information will be released until the review has concluded." |