A TEN-YEAR-OLD boy, who has already battled cancer twice, was today undergoing another major operation after his family received the heart-rending news that a brain tumour had returned.

Shane Edwards was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of six and went on to have two operations to remove the tumour.

After clear scans for two-and-a-half years, his parents Tracy and Philip were devastated to learn that the cancerous tumour had returned for a second time in the summer of July 2014.

Despite being told there was little hope, his family and doctors were amazed when three months later scans showed the intensive chemotherapy treatment he had been receiving had worked so well he no longer had a tumour on his brain.

But, almost two years on, the family has once again been dealt a blow when a routine scan showed a 3cm tumour on the opposite side of Shane’s brain.

At the moment doctors are unsure whether the tumour is cancerous, but Shane was today undergoing a two to six-hour operation to remove it. Then the family will face the agonising wait for results to show whether it is cancerous or not.

Mrs Edwards, 35, of Miles Hill Crescent, Bierley, said: “He’s been clear for two years so it was a shock to receive the results. He hasn’t been showing any symptoms, so we were not expecting it.

“His consultant at Leeds General Infirmary Dr Sue Picton found it hard to tell us the news - she looked devastated to be honest. I don’t think they knew how to tell us, because everything had been so good.

“There are risks with the surgery as the tumour is in the part of the brain that controls speech, so it could affect him talking.

“But we are remaining positive - we must after everything Shane has been through.”

She added that although the operation was scary, the tumour was not as deep as before, so the operation would not be as invasive or as long.

“Shane is just worried about having another scar on the other side of his head,” Mrs Edwards added. “He understands a lot more this time round, as he was six when he had the first operation but he’s our little superman.”

Shane, who attends Newall Park Primary, has a twin brother, Scott, and two older brothers Callum, 12 and Kyle, 13.

The family was left devastated at the beginning of last year when Callum, then 11, was diagnosed with leukaemia, meaning both boys were battling cancer at the same time.

Intensive chemotherapy treatment meant that after a month they received the news that Callum’s cancer was in remission although he is continuing daily chemotherapy treatment.