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A young child of 8, following a trip to her opticians, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. During a fairly lengthy period of time, during which young Holly suffered from regular headaches, she visited her GP and opticians but was unable to get to the bottom of the cause. Having now been diagnosed with craniopharyngioma, the young girl will travel to the US in order to receive treatment, which it is hoped can improve her condition.
Craniopharyngioma is a type of brain tumor derived from pituitary gland embryonic tissue, occurring most commonly in children. Patients may present with bitemporal inferior quadrantanopia leading to bitemporal hemianopia, as the tumor may compress the optic chiasm.
Following a number of visits to medical professionals, and her persistent headaches, her GP referred the young girl to the ophthalmic department at her local hospital where she was found to have this condition which had amazingly progressed to such a state that Holly had actually gone blind one eye, without realizing. The tumour which grows at a slow rate, was registered as the size of an orange. Such a tumour is normally considered inoperable due to the damage surgery can cause. However, Holly has recently undergone an operation to significantly reduce the size of the tumour. The remainder of her treatment will begin in the US where she will undergo proton beam therapy in a bid to cure her.
The proton beam therapy will be funded by the NHS. Proton beam therapy is a type of particle therapy which uses a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue. The advantage that this new form of treatment offers is that it can localise radiation doses much more precisely than other forms of treatment.
The rapid deterioration in Holly's condition has unfortunately led to the fact that she will never regain sight through her affected eye though experts hope that the form of treatments that will be used will result in her leading a normal life.