Advertisement

Five year-old Ashya King 'declared cancer free'

Ashya King, the five-year-old boy who was the subject of an international manhunt when his parents took him out of the UK for cancer treatment, has been declared free of the disease, his parents told The Sun.

View all 5 updates ›

Hospital still sees 'no benefit' to overseas treatment for Ashya King

The Southampton hospital at which Ashya King was diagnosed with cancer has disputed claims that alternative treatment improved Ashya King's chances of survival.

It said it still believes there would be 'no benefit' to his parents taking the five-year-old abroad for proton therapy.

Ashya's parents have today said he is clear of cancer and that the treatment has saved his life.

Ashya King's parents say he is now cancer free.

However, a spokesperson for the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said the treatment would not have improved his chances of survival.

"The Trust considered there would be no benefit to Ashya of proton radiotherapy over standard radiotherapy and that view was supported by a national independent expert body."

– University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

They say that with the recommended treatment - a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy - his survival chances would have been between 70-80%. They describe this as 'very good'.

More top news