A father has praised doctors who discovered his daughter had cancer when she went into hospital for an unrelated complaint.
Simran Matharu, from Bilston, went into hospital for tests on her back after complaining of pain. But standard blood checks carried out led to the discovery of a cancer so rare in her age group that she is believed to be only the second girl her age in the UK to suffer from it.
The 10-year-old is normally very fit and active and enjoys playing football and badminton with friends at Palmers Cross Primary School in Claregate, Wolverhampton.
But her parents said she had been complaining of back trouble and took her to New Cross Hospital.
There it was found she had a vertebra missing but tests also found she had a low level of thyroxine, a hormone produced by the thyroid gland in the neck.
Simran’s father Tulsa, aged 50, of Coronation Road, said: “A consultant asked if we could stay for an ultrasound just to be sure. The ultrasound found a tumour measuring 35mm by 35mm.
“If we hadn’t caught it there it would have gone undetected until it was too late.
“They told me there is only one other girl her age to have had this cancer in the UK, a girl in Southampton, but she has apparently made a full recovery.”
Mr Matharu said surgeons will remove Simran’s thyroid gland at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Wednesday.
They are confident that they can take out the entire tumour so Simran will be able to return home to mother Ravinder, aged 40, and brothers Kiran, 16, and Aaron, 13, fit and well.
Simran will have to take thyroxine and calcium drugs for the rest of her life. She is to undergo more tests before any treatment can be planned for her spine.
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