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Child brain tumour research raised in Commons

Alex Pope
News imageFamily Handout A teenage boy in a dark blue polo shirt in a hospital room looking at the camera and smiling.Family Handout
Max is receiving treatment at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre

An MP has called for the government to offer more hope to families of children with brain tumours.

Lee Barron, Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, challenged the prime minister in the Commons as he said brain tumour research was underfunded.

He highlighted the case of Max, 14, from Corby, who was diagnosed with an "incurable" brain tumour last year.

Sir Keir Starmer expressed his sympathy and said a government programme would make it easier to launch "innovative new trials".

News imageSam Read/BBC Lee Barron, standing in front of a stone wall, with white doors behind him. He is looking straight at the camera, and wearing glasses, a pink shirt and blue jacket. Sam Read/BBC
Lee Barron raised the case of Max and his family in the Commons

Barron said brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer.

He told politicians that Max "should be worrying about school, football, friends and what he wants to be when he grows up".

"Instead, he is living with a high-grade brain tumour and there is no cure available to him," he said.

"His parents Jackie and Stephen want to know why children are still being diagnosed with brain tumours and told there are no treatment options available."

Sir Keir said: "Through our Cancer Trials Accelerator Programme, we'll make it easier to launch innovative new clinical trials and find new treatment.

"And for people like Max, that will mean making young people's cancer a research priority, making clinical trials more accessible, and pay for his travel costs for care.

"I hope that comes with some comfort, but as a parent I can't imagine what his family are going through."

News imageFamily handout A woman wearing a white blouse looking at the camera smiling, alongside her teenage son who is also smiling and wearing a blue T-shirt and silver necklace in the selfie picture.Family handout
Jackie said her son Max was "strong as an ox [and was] keeping the whole family together with his attitude towards this"

Max's family said he had been having headaches and suffered an unexpected seizure on 27 November.

He was taken to Kettering General Hospital and transferred to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he is receiving treatment.

In December, England and Manchester United footballer Harry Maguire sent Max, who is a fan of the club, a message of "love and support".

The family are raising funds to pay for possible treatment abroad and have so far raised about £316,000.

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