Texas girl with Hodgkin's sees return of the disease- treatment to go ahead

Jun 12 2005

12-year old Katie Wernecke, the child at the centre of a nasty court battle between her parents and state officials, has seen a return of the Hodgkin's cancer her parents have tried to resist having treated by radiation therapy.

State officials placed Katie and her three brothers into foster care last week in an attempt to over-ride the parents and allow the girl to receive the treatment her doctors say she must have to survive.

Katie, who was diagnosed with the disease in January, is still under state custody while a Judge ordered that the other children be returned to their parents. The charges against the Wernecks were also dropped.

A state official announced in the courtroom, that the latest PET scan indicated that the Hodgkin's cancer has returned, which immediately prompted the parents to agree to accept any necessary treatment.

Katie's parents have apparently resisted treatment from the ouset, their objections are based on their religious beliefs. Katie has nonetheless already received four rounds of chemotherapy but her doctors say the radiation treatment is vital to ensure her survival.

Her parents, Michele and Edward Wernecke, had previously believed that the cancer was in remission, which made them think that radiation therapy was unnecessary.

Hodgkin's cancer is quite rare, and there are only about 900 cases diagnosed each year in children and adolescents in the U.S.

The prognosis for sufferers is good compared to other cancers, 91 percent of children live at least five years, and 60 percent of the Hodgkin’s cancer patients live more than 15 years even if the disease has spread.