A BRAVE five-year-old who has battled a rare cancer hopes to begin a drug trial which should help beat the disease if it returns.

Oliver Welch, from Blackburn, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was three years old. But for parents Adam Welch and Louise Slater, more heartbreak was to come as their youngest daughter, Eva, was also diagnosed with the disease.

Last May Oliver’s consultant informed the family that there was no longer any evidence of the disease in his body and last week, when he returned to Manchester’s Children's Hospital for check-ups, the news that he remained clear of the disease was announced.

A spokesman for the family said: “Oliver’s recent scans are clear of disease and he is still in remission. This means that he should be able to start the vaccine trial, which is only available in New York, as soon as possible.

“The trial that Oliver will be on is a course of seven vaccines over one year and it’s purpose is to enable the immune system to fight off the neuroblastoma, should it ever come back.”

Doctors say that the treatment has shown promising results, and Mr Welch and Ms Slater have conducted extensive research before agreeing to Oliver taking part in the trial.

The spokesman said: “In 40-50 per cent of children diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma, the cancer comes back. Once it does, the chances of long-term survival drop to less than 10 per cent.”

A Just Giving page named ‘Oliver’s Neuroblastoma Appeal’ has raised more than £30,000 to help the family access the medical trial.

The family is also hoping to work with a charity called Solving Kids Cancer, which will be able to arrange the treatment and everything they need to get to New York, including flights, hotels, passports and visas, all of which will cost around £155,000.

In September the family announced that Oliver’s little sister Eva had also responded well to treatment, with doctors saying there was no concrete evidence of any remaining active disease.

The one-year-old is receiving regular check-ups and scans.

In the same month Oliver started primary school, something his parents said he ‘absolutely loved.’