Family of Isla Sneddon demand review of urgent cancer referrals

The Herald Scotland

28-05-2025

Airdrie teenager Isla Sneddon was 17 when she died on March 2 after a six-month battle with cancer.
Her family have told The Herald that if her symptoms were taken as seriously as adult breast cancer treatment, she may still be alive today.
Isla sought help from her GP aged 14 over painful breast lumps, which were first ruled to be fibroadenoma - benign hormonal lumps - in July 2022.
By June 2024, the pain had worsened and the lumps grew in size, with GPs placing an urgent referral for biopsies after cancer was suspected.
Relatives said Isla's referral was downgraded by the breast clinic from "urgent" to "routine" that same month because her age meant she did not meet national guidelines.
In Scotland, adults with an urgent referral must not wait more than 62 days for cancer scans.
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Isla's condition deteriorated further and by September 2024 - after intensive care and a 10-week stay at Glasgow's Golden Jubilee hospital - a sarcoma was discovered on the lining of her heart.
Sarcomas are rare and fast-spreading forms of cancer, and doctors discovered Isla's cancer originated in her breast.
By the time the discovery was made, it had spread to her heart, lymph nodes and lungs.
Parents Mark and Michelle were told she had just six to 12 months to live.
'By the time they got to it, it was too late,' cousin Mairi McGee told The Herald.
She has launched a petition on behalf of the family demanding the Scottish Government treats cancer suspicion in children with the same urgency as adult patients.
'We want to make clear that all of the care that Isla received from the doctors and nurses was fantastic,' she said.
'The problem we found was that if that referral in June had been placed on a doctor's desk without an age on it, and Isla was seen as urgent, then we could be in a really different place.
'Isla could still be here, she could have had longer.'
Mairi added: "We just think the guidelines are wrong - it is totally crazy and should have been taken more seriously in June."
Scotland has one of the highest mortality rates for under-18s in Western Europe, with approximately 45 infants, children and young people dying every year.
The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are being warned mandatory clinical standards must be introduced to stop more young lives being lost.
Alongside the ask on urgent paediatric referrals, the family are asking for clear accountability and follow ups when referrals are delayed or downgraded, and training for clinicians to recognise early signs of cancer in children.
The family also demand a "formal review into paediatric diagnostic delays" to "identify systemic failures".
Mairi told The Herald her family are "devastated" at the loss of the "vibrant" teenager.
"We can't see how we can possibly move on," she said.
"It feels like we have been in limbo since the day she died.
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"This has been horrific. Even though Isla was given six to 12 months, we all had a lot of hope.
"Isla was determined to the very end, putting on her wig and eyelashes when she got up in the morning.
"She got six months and two days. Her mum and dad bought her prom dress and she was really looking forward to it but she is obviously not going to be there.
"Isla was responding well to chemotherapy. She just took it all in her stride.
"On the day that Isla died, we didn't expect her to die that day. She was unwell with a bit of a cough and doctors thought it may be viral but days later she died.
"It was so quick and unexpected. We didn't expect to not walk back out of the hospital with her."
Scottish Labour's deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie described the case as a "scandal".
She said: "This is an utterly heartbreaking case and my thoughts are with Isla Sneddon's family.
"It is a scandal that Isla and her family were so badly failed and lessons must be learned from this awful case to ensure no more lives are needlessly lost in this way."
She added: "There must be a review into how cancer referrals for young people are handled so we can ensure people of all ages get the swift, lifesaving cancer treatment they need."
Annie Wells, women's health minister for the Scottish Tories, said: 'My thoughts are with Isla Sneddon's family and friends who will be continuing to grieve losing her in such awful circumstances.
'No parent should have to endure the loss of a child after seeing them go through incredible pain.
'I am deeply concerned that her referral for a biopsy was downgraded simply because of her age.
'I support these calls from her family for mandatory standards to be introduced in relation to paediatric care to ensure that children are treated the same as adults and we never see a repeat of this tragic case.'
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: 'Our thoughts are with the family of Isla on their loss.
'The Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer have been developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. These guidelines have recently been reviewed with input from clinicians and cancer charities to ensure they are evidence based and help support early identification of cancer.
'To support this a new primary care cancer education platform – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April 2024 in NHS Scotland, supported by NHS Education for Scotland. Gateway C provides innovative, and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making.
'This free online platform is accessible to all primary care clinicians including pharmacists, dentists, and optometrists.'
The petition set up by Isla Sneddon's family can be accessed here.