'I watched TikTok video and rushed to GP, he says it saved my life'
Cleo, 21, had put her symptoms down to drinking coffee on an empty stomach until she saw one clip
Cleo Lambert says watching a TikTok video saved her life (Kennedy News and Media)
A woman says TikTok 'saved her life' when a video prompted her to go to the doctors - uncovering a 17cm cancerous tumour in her belly. Cleo Lambert says that if she hadn't seen the TikTok video during a scrolling session last summer then she 'wouldn't be alive' today.
The 21-year-old first started experiencing symptoms in 2022 including bloating, weight gain, a puffy face, and facial hair, but says she 'struggled to piece them together'. After multiple visits to her GP, Cleo was diagnosed with PCOS in 2023 and tried to manage her symptoms with diet and lifestyle - even putting the puffy face down to drinking coffee on an empty stomach.
But after making changes to her lifestyle and ditching coffee completely, Cleo's symptoms worsened. Cleo says the changes to her body left her so self conscious that she 'didn't want to leave the house' to socialise.
Cleo recognised her symptoms and was able to tell the doctor what she thought was wrong (Kennedy News and Media)
But Cleo came across a TikTok video last summer in which someone else was experiencing all of symptoms she was, and one comment suggested it could be Cushing's syndrome. After researching the illness, she went to the doctors in July last year, believing this she had the hormonal disorder of too much cortisol but hoping it was caused by a benign tumour.
However an MRI scan revealed a 17cm tumour in the right of her abdomen - and Cleo was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cortical cancer. After battling the cancer with chemotherapy, doctors are now monitoring her progress - but told her if she the TikTok video hadn't prompted her to book the appointment, she might not be here.
Cleo is now speaking out to say the TikTok clip saved her life and to warn others to get symptoms checked out. Cleo, from Tring, Hertfordshire, said: "I was scrolling on TikTok and I saw a video about having a puffy moon face, a distended abdomen, carrying extra fat on your stomach and a lot of the other symptoms I was experiencing.
"I had every single one of the symptoms and I thought it was so weird. I was reading in the comments and someone said it was Cushing's syndrome. I Googled that and instantly I was like 'I've got this'. It said it was a benign tumour so I thought right OK, I've got a tumour but it's not cancer so it will be fine.
"The doctor sent me for blood tests and a number of other tests. I got called in for an MRI scan and when I got the results back it said that my tumour was 17cm [and that it was actually cancerous]."
Cleo, who previously worked in a deli, had surgery to remove the tumour on August 30 2024 and has since undergone six months of chemotherapy treatment. She will now take chemotherapy tablets for two more years, as doctors continue to closely monitor her cancer.
Cleo said: "I've got a few little spots [of cancer] left but they're going to rescan it at the start of September and see what's going on. I've got two years of the chemo tablets which would end in December 2027 but it's obviously changing all the time.
"It might change next month, it might change next week. I've got scans every three months. Doctors have said they might end up doing radiotherapy or another surgery.
Doctors found a large tumour (Kennedy News and Media)
"They just keep discussing it all the time. Right now it's so small that it's not harming me." Cleo, who is hoping to go to university in September to study fashion buying and merchandising, says TikTok 'saved her life'.
Cleo said: "I found this out myself. The first doctor I saw said that if I hadn't seen that TikTok and gone to him with that list of symptoms then it could have taken an extra year to diagnose me. If I'd waited another year then I would not be here because it [the tumour] was so big and it was growing into all of my other organs.
"TikTok literally saved my life. That's what I always say to my friends. People tell me to stop scrolling but I'm just like sorry, TikTok did save my life.
"If I didn't go to the doctors after seeing that video I would not be alive."
According to Cancer Research UK, adrenal cortical cancer is rare and also known as adrenocortical carcinoma. It is a type of adrenal gland tumour. Tests to diagnose adrenal cortical cancer include blood tests and scans such as CT scans.
Cleo Lambert says watching a TikTok video saved her life (Kennedy News and Media)
The main treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
According to the NHS, Cushing's syndrome is a rare condition caused by having too much of a hormone called cortisol in your body. MedlinePlus says Cushing's syndrome can occur when an adrenal gland tumour releases excess amounts of the hormone cortisol. Cancerous tumours that may cause Cushing syndrome include an adrenal carcinoma. This is a rare tumour, but it usually makes excess cortisol.
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The NHS website states that symptoms include a red, round face, skin that bruises easily, muscle weakness and excessive hair growth. Treatments include surgery and radiotherapy to remove the growth.
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