UKC

This article on proton beam therapy is worth reading. (not Daily Mail sensationalism).

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/ash...

In reply to icnoble:

Miserable, heart breaking situation - but if a doctor looked me in the eye and told me what he would do under those circumstances, that's what I'd do.

I also don't think it's so unreasonable to factor in the fact that the parents belong to a loony sect when considering the wisdom of their judgement.

In reply to icnoble:
Unfortunately contains at least one logical fallacy (A implies B means B implies A. Or not.):

"Peter Wilson, head paediatrician at Southampton, said in a press interview over the weekend that proton therapy is not deemed to have any benefit because medulloblastoma requires the entire brain and spine to be irradiated, due to the risk of stray cancer cells seeping out from the original tumour into the cerebral-spinal fluid.

The implication was that proton therapy could not be used to irradiate the spine and brain. "

Err, what? Let's get the reporting right please.

Some interesting stuff there. Although its probably just a typo, this line shows the articles' quality standards.

"so why is medulloblastoma still not a recommended treatment for proton-beam therapy overseas?"

In reply to icnoble:

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/ashya-king-this-story-isnt-quit...

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In reply to Enty:

Thanks for the link Enty.

In reply to Enty:

It's a good article isn't it. It was clear from day one that the parents had not removed this poor kid from southampton to travel immediately for treatment of their choice otherwise they would not have gone to spain.

A very media savy family has spun this into a sympathy vote winner, and caused the derision of the hopsital and the UK police reaction.

My thoughts are that both the hopsital and the uk police acted exactly as they should, and they should be commended for it. The only people who have acted against this child's best interests are the parents, although clearly they are not necessarily in a good place to be thinking rationally at the moment.

In reply to icnoble:

A friend of mine who's a GP sent me that - she's very angry about the way the NHS and the UK doctors have been portrayed in all this.

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