Cancer toddler denied best care 'because he's Scottish'

Published on Friday 17 June 2011 15:08

The family of a toddler who has been battling cancer since he was eight weeks old claim that he is being denied first-class treatment because he lives in Scotland.

Little Fraser Smith has had three operations to replace his right eye with a prosthetic but each time it has fallen out.

Fraser's family say that better treatment is available in England where the only two specialist eye units are based.

They believe that the three-year-old is suffering because of a postcode lottery for the types of care available in different parts of the UK.

Fraser's grandmother, Debbie Fraser, said Fraser has endured a lot of pain because the closest specialist eye clinic is 400 miles away in Birmingham and surgeons in their area are not experienced enough in the procedure.

Mrs Fraser, from Forres, Moray, said: "It's so heartbreaking for everyone. The whole family are climbing the walls.

"We know another little boy who has the same condition who lives close to the hospital in Birmingham and he has had a prosthetic eye fitted.

"It looks great, you can't tell the difference. But Fraser has been waiting almost two years to have one fitted because his keeps falling out."

Fraser was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma in 2009.

The cancer is rare and only about 40 cases of the disease are diagnosed in the UK each year, mostly in children under five.

It is often diagnosed when photographs are taken of the child and show something abnormal in the eye's reflection.

Since his diagnosis Fraser has gone through a series of problems finding a prosthetic replacement.

Mrs Fraser said: "Fraser is so brave he's a little star - but he's getting to the age now where he knows what is going on and he is aware that he is not the same as everyone else.

"He is starting to get teased by the kiddies in his playgroup - they all point at his missing eye."

Fraser has gone through bouts of surgery to replace the eye - the latest being carried out at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - three weeks after an earlier procedure at the hospital was unsuccessful.

Mrs Fraser said: "It was the first time surgeons in the hospital had carried out the operation and they said if it failed they would be unwilling to do it again. I don't blame the surgeons, they have been great - but the lack of a specialist retinoblastoma unit is a major problem.

"Kids with the condition need specialist care. It's not just Fraser, there are others out there not getting the treatment they deserve.

"If there was a small clinic with a doctor coming up just once a month that would make a huge difference to the people in Scotland."

The UK's only two retinoblastoma clinics are in Birmingham's Children's Hospital and St Bartholomew's in London.

Yesterday the family's health boards said some therapies required by patients were so specialist they could not be carried out everywhere.

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said "Certain treatments are so specialised they can only be offered at a small number of centres. This would appear to be one such case."

White eye clue

About 40 cases of retinoblastoma are diagnosed in the UK each year. Most of these occur in children under the age of five, although it can affect youngsters of any age.

Retinoblastoma is a tumour that occurs in the retina - the light-sensitive lining of the eye.

Some children with retinoblastoma may have no symptoms, but it will be identified by screening in families with a history of the condition.

The first sign of the condition is often a white pupil that does not reflect the light. This may be detected when a picture is taken using flash photography. The affected eye may look white in the photograph.