Specialist therapy stops Shropshire man's tumour's growth

People in Shropshire raised £60,000 so Nick Haves could have proton beam therapy

A man has been told his brain tumour has not grown, after fundraising for specialist treatment.

Nick Haves, 47, was diagnosed with a meningioma and believed proton beam therapy would be his best option, but was told he did not qualify for it on the NHS.

His family launched a fundraising campaign to pay for it and £60,000 required was raised within weeks.

Mr Haves said the results made him "even more thankful" for the support.

Proton beam therapy is a specialist form of radiotherapy that uses a high-energy beam of protons rather than X-rays.

It is particularly appropriate for highly complex brain, head and neck cancers and sarcomas, and for certain cancers in children.

'Even more thankful'

NHS England said the eligibility and suitability of patients was determined by a national panel of specialist doctors on a case-by-case basis.

In June 2018, Mr Haves, from Sheriffhales in Shropshire, started to get double vision and his left eye began to droop but his tumour was not diagnosed for some months afterwards.

After undergoing radiotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in his 20s, he believed proton beam therapy would offer the best treatment and reduce the chances of him developing further tumours,

Nick underwent his treatment at the Rutherford Cancer Centre in south Wales

Although it would not be a cure, he said, he hoped the therapy would stop his tumour growing and causing further damage.

He has now been told, during a telephone consultation with his consultant, a scan showed the tumour had not grown since he began the treatment.

"It was a relief (and) my family are delighted," said the father-of-two.

"It makes me even more thankful for all the help we received, now I have had time to sit back and think about what happened."

His next appointment to check on the tumour will be in a year.