NEW ULM (Minnesota) - A 13-YEAR-OLD boy with cancer who fled Minnesota to avoid chemotherapy said he was angry about a judge's Tuesday ruling he must continue getting the treatment after court documents showed his tumour has shrunk significantly.

Daniel Hauser was not at the court hearing but later told The Associated Press he had hoped he would be able to stop chemotherapy, which he said makes him ill.

Daniel said he believes his tumour's improvement comes from alternative treatments he's doing such as supplemental drinks and pills.

His parents also remain concerned about the risks of chemotherapy, which they initially rejected for religious reasons, saying it harms the body. But they told Brown County Judge John Rodenberg during the Tuesday hearing that they would take their son to a Wednesday chemo appointment.

Colleen Hauser told the AP at her home that doctors said it would take six months to treat her son's Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was first diagnosed, but they've now seen improvement in the past few weeks.

Mr Rodenberg also ruled that Daniel is still in need of child protection services, agreeing with Brown County prosecutor James Olson that the case should stay in court.

The Hausers' attorney, Barbara Gislason, said the family's promise to take Daniel to his chemo appointment does not mean they believe in the treatment.

Besides a smaller tumour, doctors said in court documents that some of Daniel's symptoms have improved after the chemotherapy. He was breathing better and sleeping well, and his cough has improved, they said. But the doctors said the boy has a poor appetite and has been fatigued and nauseated.

Daniel's court-appointed attorney, Phil Elbert, said Daniel has seen the most recent X-rays of his tumour, which show that the tumour is a white, see-through mass. Previous X-rays had shown a dense, black mass.

Mr Elbert said Daniel will continue chemotherapy if he has to, even though he doesn't want to. -- AP