Health officials have drawn up recommendations to downgrade Scotland's specialist child cancer centres to create a single super-clinic.

A review which could see key aspects of child cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and training withdrawn from Aberdeen and Edinburgh and concentrated in Glasgow was first revealed in The Herald two years ago. A second option would see Aberdeen downgraded and two principal centres opened in the central belt.

Now draft recommendations from the Scottish Government's National Steering Group for Specialist Children's Services have moved the plans a step closer.

Health bosses argue pooling expertise would ensure all children have access to the top cancer specialists. But parents' groups and MSPs criticised the proposals, claiming they would force children who are already under huge stress to travel far away from home.

Mike Rumbles, Liberal Democrat MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, described the move as "totally unacceptable".

He said: "These proposals do not put patients first. These are extremely vulnerable children. It is not acceptable to take them away from the north east, their family and their home. The only people this would suit are the specialists themselves.

"The government should never have started down this road and they should not continue. I will fight tooth and nail to stop it."

Outlining previous service cuts in the Grampian area, he added: "This is thin end of the wedge. We have already lost the cleft palette specialist services and there is the threat that neurosurgery services will be removed.

"Now we face losing the child cancer unit. If we carry on losing specialisms I fear a knock-on effect on the medical school."

Brian Adam, the SNP's MSP for Aberdeen North, said: "I am as yet unconvinced by these recommendations. I believe that the current service we have in the North East is safe, and there is no evidence that it is unsustainable."

Each year, Scotland's cancer centres treat 150 new cases of the disease in children under 16. Survival rates are high - around 70% overall - but remain behind those in some other European countries.

At present, children with cancer and brain tumours can be treated at their nearest major hospital - Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Centralising services would, say experts, ensure all children were seen by the top specialists even if it meant families travelling hundreds of miles.

The group, chaired by Malcolm Wright, chief of NHS Education Scotland, includes doctors, health leaders and patient representatives.

Under the first option, Glasgow would become Scotland's principal treatment centre for children's cancer, meaning both Aberdeen and Edinburgh ceasing treatments for brain tumours and some experimental drugs trials.

Under the second option, Glasgow and Edinburgh would operate as national centres with Aberdeen ceasing to treat brain tumours and some experimental drugs trials.

The report states: "One of the key outcomes of this review is to ensure that the future service provided for children and young people equals comparable European countries.

"There are real challenges currently in ensuring that children can access the full range of clinical trials available. This is likely to continue unless the service is developed appropriately."

Under the first option both Aberdeen and Edinburgh would operate as Level 3 services - performing a number of procedures including chemotherapy and some diagnosis of common cancers.

Ella Pybus, spokeswoman for the charity Brain Tumour UK, said: "The prospect for families in Aberdeen having to travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow hardly bears thinking about.

"Children with serious brain tumours might have to spend a considerable time a long way from home and if parents have other children to look after or jobs that they depend on it makes it extremely difficult."

However a spokesman for NHS Grampian said: "We currently do clinical trials and paediatric neurology and we will continue to do so. We believe we would provide the same level of service."

Dr Zoe Dunhill, clinical director of children's services for NHS Lothian, said: "We await with interest the outcomes of the ongoing national reviews which we know are intended to ensure best care for children with cancer across Scotland."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The report on children's cancer services will feed into the national delivery plan for specialist children's services which will be consulted on in the new year."

The new proposals are the result of a consultation which began two years ago, sparked by new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which recommended that there are at least five consultants in a child cancer service team.

At that time, Glasgow, with most staff, had a four-strong group while there were just two in Aberdeen.

Dr Brenda Gibson, consultant paediatric haematologist in Glasgow and a member of the working group, said at the time: "The important thing is we implement the Nice guidelines north of the border as well as south of the border.

"I think the guidelines are there for a very good reason. Whatever the configuration for Scotland, we want it to be the best care."

Dr Gibson said that the Scots population was comparable to the size of an English region which would only have one specialist centre.