Vanessa, 9, to be cancer treatment pioneer

Brave Vanessa Riddle had her young life turned upside down when she was struck with the neuroblastoma last year.

The illness – which affects just 100 children each year in Britain – forms in the nerve cells and scientists are still struggling to find out what causes it.

The nine-year-old, who has been battling the condition since being diagnosed last February, had several six-hour operations before doctors told her she was in remission.

But she is now set to lead the way by becoming the first child in Scotland to undergo a radical treatment, hailed by medics as a possible breakthrough against the condition.

She is starting the treatment, which will last five months, at Yorkhill hospital in Glasgow on Monday.

Last night, Vanessa's parents Chris and Connie, both 39 (above right), admitted they were "delighted" their daughter had been chosen as scientists make progress towards a cure.

The pioneering treatment she faces sees the body's antibody process being encouraged to hunt down and destroy the cancer which has originally formed in the nerve cells.

Scientists believe that it could improve the chances of staying in remission by as much as 20 per cent.

Mr Riddle, a regional administrator from Loans, Ayrshire, said: "When Vanessa was first diagnosed, it was a massive shock to us all.

"She had been experiencing pains in her side and we had put it down to kidney stones.

"But when the pain didn't go away, we went to the hospital where they diagnosed Vanessa and immediately started treatment to get rid of the tumours.

"It all happened within the space of a month and it was a lot to get her head around. But when she started going into remission, we were relieved.

"The treatment over here is far less advanced than what you get in America.

"You're talking about 500,000 to go over there and get this kind of thing – but thankfully the UK is now catching up."

Vanessa underwent several gruelling chemotherapy sessions after the cancer was discovered and is still fed through a tube at night to make her stronger.

Mrs Riddle, an office administrator, said Vanessa would be the first in Scotland to undergo the new treatment and just the fourth in the UK.

"It will make her quite tired and the process can be quite painful but Vanessa has been so brave and wants to take part," she said.

Vanessa, who has a sister Olivia, 13, admits she is scared of the going into hospital.

But she added: "I know everything will be just fine and I can't wait to get back to school and play with my friends."

DISEASE THAT BEGINS IN THE WOMB

NEUROBLASTOMA is a rare cancer that mostly affects children aged under five. About 100 children are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK.

It develops from cells left behind from a baby's development in the womb.

Neuroblastoma often starts in the abdomen, commonly in the adrenal glands or the nerve tissue at the back of the abdomen. Its exact cause is unknown, but in some cases there is a family history.

Symptoms include tiredness, fever and loss of appetite.

It usually develops in the abdomen with a lump being the most common symptom, but it can also appear in the neck, causing breathlessness or difficulty in swallowing.