Woman told 'lumpy boobs' were normal but it was cancer
Lea Hughes was first reassured after spotting a small lump on her right breast aged 29
A woman was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 breast cancer after her tumour was dismissed as 'lumpy boobs' for two years. Lea Hughes, 38, first noticed a small lump on her right breast at the age of 29 but was reassured that her 'lumpy boobs' were merely hormonal.
However, two years later, she noticed the lump had developed into a 'dimple'. On this occasion, doctors immediately referred her for a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy.
She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, which had spread to her liver and bones during the years it went undetected. Faced with an 'incurable' diagnosis, Lea pursued medications, therapies, and treatments to stabilise the disease and prevent further spread.
But in August 2024, a scan revealed the cancer had reached her brain, and by March, it had also invaded her lungs. Lea, originally from the Wirral but now residing in Leytonstone, East London, has exhausted all NHS-funded treatment options and is now fundraising for private care.
The former-fashion and retail marketer recalled: "When the doctor first told me I had lumpy boobs, I'd never heard of it before. But years on, I saw the lump had grown when I was putting a bikini on and I spotted a shadow caused by the lump.
"Within weeks, I was diagnosed with stage four incurable cancer aged 31. Treatments contained it - until August 2024 - and now it's in my brain and lungs too.
"I know the doctors and nurses so well now, after seven years at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. It's longer than any relationship I've ever had."
Lea first spotted a small lump on the front of her right breast in 2015 and quickly sought medical advice. However, she was initially dismissed with the explanation that she simply had 'lumpy boobs' and at 29, without a family history, she wasn't eligible for further tests.
Despite her attempts to get the issue addressed, it wasn't until a holiday in early 2018 that doctors took notice. She recalled noticing a shadow and a dimple while wearing a bikini, which led to an immediate referral to the hospital when she reported it over the phone.
She underwent a series of examinations: "I went for a mammogram and an ultrasound, then a biopsy. When it came back as cancer, they did a breast MRI scan and noticed a shadow on my liver in the corner."
Further investigations revealed the extent of her condition: "So they did full body scans - MRIs, PETs and bone scans - and learned it had spread to my liver and bones."
Lea received a grim diagnosis of stage four incurable cancer in April 2018, coincidentally on Friday 13th. Treatment commenced at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, aiming to stabilise and contain the cancer. In June 2022, she underwent a single mastectomy.
Unfortunately, one of the oral treatments proved too much for her body, resulting in hospitalisation in August 2023 due to severe side effects. She shared the harrowing experience: "I had hypercalcaemia - high calcium levels in the blood - and needed multiple blood transfusions.
"It felt very real - I realised that this illness really could take me out." After opting for IV chemotherapy for 10 months, doctors successfully brought her cancer under control, allowing her to finish the treatment in May 2024.
However, a routine scan in August 2024 revealed that her liver tumours had started to progress again, prompting a full-body scan to evaluate her eligibility for a new clinical trial.
Unfortunately, this same scan uncovered that the cancer had also invaded her brain. Lea reflected on the discovery, sha ring: "It's one of those things, with stage four breast cancer, you know it can spread to the brain and you do worry. But I didn't expect it then, because I had no symptoms at all."
Come September 2024, Lea began whole-brain radiotherapy before undertaking another series of IV chemotherapy treatments. Following this was radiotherapy targeting her spine, but by December 2024, her physical strength waned significantly as her body started to "give up".
She recounted: "I'm 5ft 10ins and I went down to 7st. I was too weak to hold myself up - I was watching myself waste away.
"I had to shave my head when I started losing my hair too. I didn't recognise myself and seeing those changes was very confronting."
A brief period of improvement came in January 2025, but complications arose in March when she experienced serious breathing difficulties. The cancer had spread to her lungs, from which 4.5 litres of fluid were drained.
Lea is now undergoing her sixth round of chemotherapy and has started fundraising efforts to access Enhertu, a targeted cancer therapy. Despite its availability on the NHS for certain types of breast cancer, Lea's extensive spread of the disease, including to her brain, leaves her ineligible for NHS-provided access to this particular drug.
She holds onto hope that the drug, Enhertu, could be a game-changer for her brain cancer too as it's known to cross the blood-brain barrier – a rare trait not seen in many chemotherapy treatments.
According to results gleaned from the DESTINY-Breast12 trial by creators AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, Enhertu revealed promising outcomes with a 61.6% one-year progression-free survival rate for patients who had both brain metastases and breast cancer.
Yet, the steep cost of over £10,000 per cycle stands as a significant hurdle without NHS funding. Lea said: "I always try to lean into the positive - accepting how sh***y this is, but also not giving in. Yet the harshness of reality hits hard when treatments fail."
Reflecting on her ordeal, she expressed disbelief: "I can't believe everything I've been through - you don't realise until you sit back and reflect. But I have no choice just to get on with it and keep fighting."
Click to support her journey via fundraising here.
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