The case of Ashya King concerns a boy named Ashya King, who had a brain tumour. His parents, Brett and Naghemeh King, took their son out of Southampton General Hospital (England) in August 2014 over a disagreement with doctors regarding his treatment.
Brain tumor
Ashya had a medulloblastoma, which was successfully removed through surgery on 24 July 2014. He received further neurosurgery on 22 August.
His parents wanted him be treated with proton therapy, which they felt was less harmful than chemotherapy and conventional radiotherapy. At that time, the National Health Service (NHS) did not provide proton therapy in the United Kingdom. However, it has funded treatment abroad since April 2008 where evidence has shown there to be benefit. In this case, the doctors did not support moving the boy so that he could get proton therapy and, in response, on 28 August 2014, the parents took their son out of the hospital without informing the medical team and boarded a ferry to France.
International manhunt and court case
The same day, an international manhunt for Ashya and his parents commenced. and, on 30 August, they were found in Velez Malaga, Spain. The parents were arrested and their son was sent to a local hospital for urgent treatment.
On 2 September 2014, following public outcry against the arrest, then UK prime minister David Cameron called for “an urgent outbreak of common sense” while his deputy said it was not appropriate to “throw the full force of the law” at the couple.
On 3 September 2014, Ashya King's parents were freed from the Spanish prison when the request to extradite them to the United Kingdom was withdrawn.
The issues about treating the boy were brought to the High Court to be resolved, and on 5 September 2014, the court ruled that Ashya could receive proton therapy in Prague. Doctors from Southampton General Hospital said the treatment would have the same side effects as conventional radiotherapy. On 9 September, Ashya arrived at the Proton Therapy Center in Prague, where he underwent proton beam therapy.
Aftermath
In 2015 and 2018, brain scans showed Ashya to be free of cancer. He still has some side effects from the tumour, and is in rehabilitation to improve his speech.
A 2015 report reviewing the case stated that the parents' decision to deny their child chemotherapy had reduced his chances of survival by 30 percent. Reviews also called on health providers to do a better job communicating with parents.
In 2016, following the publication of a prospective phase II trial the NHS decided it would pay for children with medulloblastoma to travel abroad to receive proton therapy.
References
- ^ "Brain tumour boy Ashya King free of cancer, parents say". BBC News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ O'Brien, A.; Sokol, D. K. (10 September 2014). "Lessons from the Ashya King case". British Medical Journal. 349: g5563. doi:10.1136/bmj.g5563. PMID 25209621. S2CID 206903368.
- ^ Adams, Joel (3 March 2018). "Ashya King cleared of cancer three years after his parents abducted him from hospital for treatment abroad". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- "'NHS England: NHS Commissioning: Highly Specialised Services: Proton beam therapy'". Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ "Ashya King's father says U.K. boy cancer-free after Prague treatment that led to manhunt". CBC News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- Khomami, Nadia (30 August 2014). "Parents arrested as missing Ashya King found by police in Spain". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- "Ashya King case could lead to families rejecting NHS advice, doctors warn". the Guardian. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- Judgment and Family Court Orders in the matter of Ashya King
- "Ashya King's parents freed from Spanish prison". BBC News. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ Boseley, Sarah (5 September 2014). "Ashya King given legal go-ahead for cancer treatment in Prague". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Ashya King 'is cancer free and back at school' says dad three years after brain tumour treatment row". Mirror. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- "Ashya King's parents hit back at report which claims they 'reduced his survival chances by 30 per cent'". The Daily Telegraph. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- "Ashya King's removal from hospital 'put him at risk', report finds". BBC News. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- Cowburn, Ashley (24 September 2015). "Parents of Ashya King put him at risk, report says". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- Yock, T.; et al. (29 January 2016). "Long-term toxic effects of proton radiotherapy for paediatric medulloblastoma: a phase 2 single-arm study". The Lancet Oncology. 17 (3): 287–298. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00167-9. PMID 26830377.
- "Proton beam therapy 'effective' and 'causes fewer side effects'". NHS. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2017.