Broadcaster and former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth has spoken about the shock of his grandson Kitt's cancer diagnosis when he was a baby. Kitt, now 10, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue sarcoma that affects fewer than 60 children in the UK each year.
Brandreth, 77, said the diagnosis was 'a shock to the system', adding: 'We think of cancer as something that happens to unlucky middle-aged people.' The lump was discovered by Kitt's parents while changing his nappy; doctors initially thought it was a cyst or hernia, but tests at A&E confirmed the cancer.
Kitt was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which Brandreth praised for its 'world-class reputation' and for remembering 'that children are children'. He recalled doing jigsaws and building things with Kitt in the hospital's playroom. The chemotherapy caused hair loss, blood transfusions, liver damage, a bacterial infection affecting his heart, and veno-occlusive disease, a serious complication that can lead to multi-organ failure.
Brandreth called for kinder treatments for childhood cancers, noting that many drugs used today were developed 50 years ago. He said: 'You read things in the paper and think this sounds exciting but when you speak to the doctors, they aren't available yet.' In the last decade, only 12 anti-cancer medicines have been approved for children, compared with over 150 for adults, and clinical trials for children take an average of six and a half years longer.
Kitt was given the all-clear in November 2017 and has been in remission for eight years. He has yearly check-ups at GOSH and lives a normal life abroad with his family.
