'Our son's cancer care before his death was brutal'

Zac Staples had an embryonal tumour with multi-layered rosettes in his brain

A couple whose four-year old son died of a rare brain tumour are calling for "kinder" treatments for children with cancer.

Zac Staples, from Gravesend, Kent, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in March 2021.

He died on 12 April, 2022, after undergoing three operations, six weeks of proton beam therapy and intense rounds of high-dose chemotherapy.

Luke Staples, the child's father, said: "We hope research will mean that families don't have to go through what we did."

During Zac's treatment for an embryonal tumour with multi-layered rosettes, his family were told that the proton beam therapy meant he would be unlikely to ever live independently had he survived.

"And chemotherapy made him so sick and weak that we watched him fade away in front of our eyes," said Mr Staples.

Mr Staples said the loss of Zac has left a hole in his family that will never be filled

Zac's mother, Karen Staples, said the treatment was "brutal" on young children.

The couple have welcomed a £1.5m investment by The Brain Tumour Charity into a new research project to better understand the rare cancer that Zac was diagnosed with.

Luke and Karen Staples with Zac and his older brother Dylan (left)

The research project will look at tumour biology, how the tumours behave and how they are currently treated.

It will also create tumour models taken from patient samples to test different drugs in the laboratory, the charity said.

It is hoped the study will give a better understanding of the tumours and will lead to kinder treatments for children affected by them.

Dr Simon Newman, the charity's chief scientific officer, said: "We are committed to funding the very best research to fulfil the unmet needs of the brain tumour community.

"This research will establish best practices for an under-studied group of tumours that devastate the lives of families and young children."