Scots doctor diagnosed with cancer after pal noticed how he sat on his bike
A Scots doctor was diagnosed with cancer after his pal noticed he was sitting "wonky" on his bike.
Anthony Ayles, 68, initially thought his back ache was down to an old ski injury, but when his friend pointed out it was causing him to sit on his bike "squint" - leaning more to one side rather than sitting upright - he sought medical advice.
A fist-sized tumour was found on the side of the retired Edinburgh GP's back and he was diagnosed with lymphoma - a cancer which originates from the lymph nodes, a part of the immune system.
The father-of-three and grandfather-of-five said: "I was pretty fit at the time and feeling quite fit.
"I was cycling 100 miles a day at this point, as part of a group cycling challenge travelling 700 miles from Dunkirk to M rren, Switzerland.
"He was behind me and he said, oh, Anthony, by the way, you're sitting squint on the seat.
"And I tried to sort of reshape myself. And he said, 'no, you're still squint '.
"And I didn't think much about it, but funny enough, my back had been hurting."
Due to a ski accident in the 1970s, Anthony suffered a broken back so "back ache is not terribly new" to him.
However, he realised the pain he was feeling now was in a different spot to where his previous injury had hurt. So after the bike ride, in May 2024, he visited his doctor.
He said: "I started thinking, you know, this isn't right. A lot of my friends were in pain from the long cycles, but my pain didn't settle on my return to Edinburgh."
After having CT scans, MRIs and X-rays in June 2024 at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, it was found that he had a tumour"the size of a fist" buried in the right side of his back, alongside tumours in his ribs and spine.
He added: "It's not something you see yourself because you just stand in the mirror and you don't look at your back, do you?"
Further investigation led to his diagnosis of lymphoma later that month.
Anthony continued: "I had to go to a clinic for cancers of undiagnosed origins - I ultimately had a biopsy which gave the tissue diagnosis.
"They had excluded various other cancers through the tests - they even said it was unlikely to be lymphoma as they couldn't see the blood markers.
"At that point I was left with a likely diagnosis of pancreatic cancer - which is known to have a poorer prognosis.
"So when I knew it was lymphoma, I was relieved in a way.
"Even though I've actually got a rather difficult type of lymphoma to treat.
"It's not one of the ones that you expect to cure, but because I was strong in many other ways, they said I could withstand quite nasty treatments."
Anthony believes his career helped him cope. He said: "My doctor asked 'do you want to be spoken to as a doctor or as a patient?'
"And I said, 'no, treat me as a doctor, I can't pretend to have forgotten all the medicine I knew'."
Treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, lasted from August 2024 through until January. He was in remission in May, and he is awaiting results of further tests which may require further treatment if they show a recurrence.
Anthony now plans to cycle 56 miles around Glasgow, the Trossachs and back again in the hope to raise £5000 for the charity Lymphoma Action, in September.
He added: "Having medical knowledge, I believe, helped me. You can afford to feel more positive.
"And the cycle ride is a target I will use to build my strength up, so if I do require more treatment, I will be as fit as possible."
If you wish to donate to Anthony, please visit his GoFundMe page.
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