Cambridge boy's family seek to raise awareness of rare cancer

The family of a four-year-old boy who is in a hospice with cancer wants to raise awareness of his rare tumour.

George, from Cambridge, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when he was three-years-old in May 2022.

Following treatment, his mum, Lisa Radcliffe, said his scan was clear in January but five months later the cancer returned.

"He's a resilient young man and ... we just want to make sure he has the best time he can," she said.

Ms Radcliffe said George was born a "healthy, happy little boy" but one morning he woke up with a lump on the side of his face.

"We, very, very rapidly, were thrown into the world of hospital life and it didn't take very long for us to realise that his diagnosis was a malignant tumour," she told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

The causes of rhabdomyosarcoma are unknown and tumours develop from muscle or fibrous tissue in any part of the body, with a lump or swelling being the most common symptom, according to the NHS.

Ms Radcliffe said he underwent nine rounds of "very harsh" chemotherapy treatment and six weeks of radio treatment in London.

"His scan was clear [of cancer] in the January so we were pretty happy at that point that they'd given everything they possible could, but sadly in five months it had returned," she said.

"George's treatment options have run out," she added.

His family is raising awareness of rhabdomyosarcoma and has raised over £10,000 for the charity Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG).

She said that together with her husband, they are "adamant that this experience hasn't been for nothing" and want to help other families in similar situations.

Her son has been made "happy" and "comfortable at the moment" in the hospice, Ms Ratcliffe said.

She added: "This is about making sure this little boy feels joy every single day, and that's what he deserves."

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