Zealey - you don't know what will happen to this little boy with or without treatment, neither does his mum, neither do mumsnetters, neither do doctors.
All cancer cases are different, treatments are hugely complicated with potentially very nasty and in some cases irreversible side effects.
The consultant in the Great Ormond Street documentary (think it was the second one) made it very clear (I am paraphrasing): we are walking a tightrope, the treatment has to be strong enough to kill the cancer but if it is too strong it kills the patient. Unfortunately we are learning all the time. We don't know where this line lies, when it goes wrong, the patient dies.
All those people (including doctors quoted in the press) who are SO SO CERTAIN that he dies within three months without treatment and that he has a 85% chance to survive with radiotherapy with at most a loss of 5 points on his IQ are less than scientific. To me they seem almost evangelical, rather than entering in a meaningful debate about what we know and what we don't know about medulloblastoma and the treatment of it. Also, all this talk about that he receives the gold standard in treatment is a bit bitter. Whatever they say, the UK has not a brilliant reputation in cancer treatment. I can think of a few better places.
For example, I can tell you, as a teacher, that assuming this boy is of average intelligence (eg around 100) if he loses 5 points he would have an IQ of about 95. The doctors who are treating him have said that they expect him to be able to enter mainstream school with support. A child with an IQ of 95 does not need and will not get additional support.
My DH works in this field. He is absolutely appalled about how the NHS Trust and the doctors involved are handling this. The mother is in an awful position and ultimately this is not helping this little boy. A solution needs to be sought through helping the mother and the boy not scaring them and forcing them.