THE parents of a six-year-old boy with cancer will accept further chemotherapy but reject radiotherapy despite a doctor saying he is unlikely to survive without it, the Family Court in Perth has heard.

Oshin Kiszko was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in December, but his parents opposed the treatment recommended by doctors due to the side effects.

A court order in March forced Oshin to receive chemotherapy and he was given two cycles of the treatment.

Family Court Chief Judge Stephen Thackray is now considering whether Oshin should also be given radiation.

The barrister representing Oshin’s parents, Andrew Skerritt, told the court on Monday his clients were willing to go ahead with more chemotherapy, noting there had been a response to the treatment.

But they still opposed radiation due to the long-term side effects, including reduced cognitive ability.

The court heard there were differing medical opinions about the best treatment for Oshin, but at least one reputable expert agreed the parents’ actions were reasonable.

Justice Thackray described it as an “exceedingly difficult matter” and “a matter of life and death”.

In November, Oshin, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma which had spread from his brain to his spine, Perth Now reported. The tumour was removed on December 3 at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Doctors then advised a treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but after various meetings with doctors and the hospital ethics committee, his parents Angela Kiszko and Adrian Strachan refused to allow the treatment to proceed because of concerns about side effects.

Ms Kiszko, who had studied naturopathy, said she was concerned about aggressive medical treatments after close family members had suffered and died from cancer.

Ms Kiszko had intended to take Oshin overseas to receive alternative therapies that focused on nutrition.

However Princess Margaret Hospital then took court action and was successful in getting a Magistrate to stop Oshin’s parents from taking the boy overseas after authorities put Oshin on an airport watch list.

The Family Court of WA then ordered the boy receive chemotherapy against the wishes of his parents.

With no sight of a resolution with the parents, the Child and Adolescent Health Service took legal action and on March 24, Family Court of WA Justice Thackray ruled the treatment should start on Easter Sunday, a day after Oshin’s sixth birthday party.

In an extract of his judgment, Justice Thackray said the overriding criteria of a child’s best interests was a “limit on parental power”.

Justice Thackray said the evidence made clear “beyond all doubt” that Oshin would die within a few months if measures were not taken to prevent his death.

Justice Thackray said he had taken into account Ms Kiszko’s evidence about the adverse impact on Oshin over the next few months, but the prospect of a long-term cure was “the matter that most heavily must weight in the decision”.

Justice Thackray will hand down his decision later this week.

If Justice Thackray sides against the parents, Oshin could begin radiotherapy treatment on Monday.