A Little Boy Who Was Slowing Down

For nearly eight months, a 7-year-old boy battled persistent fever and fatigue. His condition gradually worsened as he began losing strength on his left side, struggled to walk, and experienced failing vision. Doctors traced these devastating symptoms to something deep and dangerous: a tumour in the brainstem. He was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a 4.3 × 4 × 3 cm mass occupying the superior portion of the pons, one of the brain’s most delicate regions.

A Cancer in the Most Unforgiving Location

The tumour caused significant swelling that compressed the brain’s fluid-drainage pathways. Treating a mass in this location is extraordinarily difficult, as vision pathways, hearing structures, and healthy brain tissue were just millimetres away. This complex case required meticulous planning by specialists in neurosurgery, radiation oncology, radiology, and paediatric care. To tackle this challenge, MIOT’s multidisciplinary 35-member tumour board coordinated their expertise across specialties to devise the safest and most effective treatment plan.

Precision Delivered, Stage by Stage

The boy’s treatment relied on precision rapidarc radiotherapy at MIOT International. A detailed CT scan was first used to create a 3D map of the tumour for precise radiotherapy planning. Treatment was then delivered using MIOT’s advanced TrueBeamSTx machine, which targets tumours with exceptionally high precision. Over the course of six weeks, he underwent 30 treatment sessions. Advanced imaging ensured that the radiation accurately targeted the tumour while minimizing exposure to nearby critical structures, including the brainstem, vision and hearing pathways, and healthy brain tissue.


Four Years Later, Still Winning

Today, more than 52 months later, the young boy is enjoying a remarkable, progression-free recovery. Led by experts like Dr. V Srinivasan, Director of Oncology Services & Head of Radiation Oncology, the treatment has left the boy neurologically completely normal with no deficits at follow-up. His physical weakness is entirely gone, and his vision has fully recovered. Follow-up scans show the residual tumour has shrunk significantly from its original 4.3 × 4 × 3 cm size down to just 1.6 × 1.5 × 1.2 cm. Once struggling to take a few steps, this brave child has successfully returned to the football field, enjoying the childhood he deserves—a true testament to what advanced paediatric cancer care can achieve against a tumour many would consider untouchable.


Early diagnosis and specialized treatment make all the difference in complex neurological conditions. Consult the expert specialists at our neuro surgery center today to explore advanced, personalized treatment plans.