Latest news with #brainTumours
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Women claim seizures, weight gain and heart problems were caused by contraceptive jab linked to brain tumours
Women have alleged that the contraceptive jab, which has been linked to brain tumours, left them suffering debilitating side effects that, in some cases, 'ruined' their lives. Posting on social media, a number of patients have said the injection triggered heart palpitations, anxiety, weight gain and extreme mood swings, with many wishing they never took it. The jab, administered to some 5 million women in the UK, is given every three months and stops reproduction by preventing eggs from being released by a woman's ovaries. But its safety has recently been called into question after studies found the injection, known by the brand name Dep-Provera, raised the risk of brain tumours five-fold. Researchers found those who had the jab were far more likely to develop a meningioma, a type of brain tumour that is non-cancerous but can kill by compressing the brain and nerves if it grows too big. Last October, UK watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority called for the injection's manufacturer Pfizer to include a warning about the risk in patient information leaflets. Pfizer, the drug firm behind the jab, also wrote to NHS doctors urging them to stop women from using Depo-Provera immediately if they were diagnosed with a meningioma. On Wednesday, it came to light that some 200 UK women who feared the jab was to blame for their meningioma are now considering legal action. About 400 US women have launched a class action against Pfizer and other generic makers of Depo-Provera. Now, women have taken to social media to complain of a range of health problems they believe were caused by the jab. In one TikTok video a women named Emily Rose said the shot 'completely ruined' her life. In the caption of the video, she wrote that she wouldn't recommend it unless you're 'prepared to do your research'. She claimed to have suffered heart palpitations, anxiety, loss of appetite, and described feeling like 'a complete stranger' to herself. Others echoed her experiences in the comments section. One mother said getting the contraceptive jab was 'literally the worst mistake' she has ever made, while another told of 'skyrocketing anxiety', 'headaches from hell' and visual disturbances. 'I regret it so much,' she added. In another TikTok video, a women named Calyssa described 'life-ruining' withdrawal symptoms when she stopped having the jab. Specifically, she claimed it was responsible for extreme weight gain—causing her to gain more fat than she did during pregnancy. In the caption to the video she said: 'The Depo-Provera birth control I can say ruined my life and body. 'Getting off of it made conceiving take longer and my body had withdrawal effects where the weight gain went up before it went down. 'Plus, I was always moody and rageful with it. It gave me rage.' Elsewhere, in a Reddit post shared late last year, a 24 year-old woman with no prior health issues shared her suspicions that two seizures she suffered may have been linked to the jab. The woman claimed she had an initial seizure in June 2024 while driving 'out of nowhere', which landed her in the back of an ambulance. While she remarkably sustained no injuries, her car was 'totaled'. The hospital carried out tests which all came back clear, but one week later she claimed that she suffered another seizure. 'My body was hot, heavy & tingly, and then my boyfriend said I went 'lifeless' in my eyes and started to seize,' she wrote. The only common theme she claimed she noticed was that she had received her Depo jab a week before each seizure. Sherry Brown, of Louisiana in the US, is one of the women who believe the contraceptive jab left them with a life-altering brain tumour. She told MailOnline that she started taking Depo-Provera in 2001, when she was drawn to the jab for its convenience compared to the pills she took before. However, she stopped taking the injection in 2003 due to weight gain, staying off other birth control until undergoing a hysterectomy in 2004 when she was 27. Brown thought nothing of her time on Depo-Provera until she randomly passed out in 2019 and hit her head. Doctors discovered a meningioma in her brain, though they decided not to start any treatments due to its small size. Two years later, in 2021, Brown lost her sense of smell. She also suffered regular memory lapses, taking several minutes to remember routines she had spent years perfecting. Scans revealed a second meningioma. Though the newer tumour was too small for doctors to risk removing, her primary growth had grown to about 1.5 inches, roughly the size of a silver dollar coin. Earlier this year, at age 47, Brown underwent a gamma knife procedure, which uses radiation to stop tumour growth without making any incisions. She will have scans later this year to see if the procedure stopped the primary meningioma from growing. If it is unsuccessful, she will likely have to have brain surgery to remove either one or both tumours. 'It's a constant fear and thought in the back of my mind: Are the tumors going to grow? Is either one of them going to grow?' Brown said.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
South West brain cancer network becomes Centre of Excellence
A network of health professionals in south-west England that specialises in brain tumours has been recognised for its high standard of Plymouth and the Peninsula Neuro-Oncology Network, which includes NHS trusts across Devon and Cornwall, is one of 14 new Tessa Jowell Centres of Labour cabinet member Dame Tessa died in 2018 after she was diagnosed with brain cancer, and the Centre for Excellence was established in her name two years Plymouth and Peninsula network has been selected for the steps it has been making in research, rehabilitation and commitment to growing its team, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. £40m funding available The network includes University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Prof of neurosurgery at University Hospitals Plymouth, Dr Ellie Edlmann, told an NHS Trust board meeting on Wednesday that £40m of investment was available to Tessa Jowell centres and she wanted some of that for Edlmann said more genetic testing would enable the centre to learn more about diagnoses and improve the eligibility of patients for drug organisations that are awarded Centre for Excellence status have to reapply every four years.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I spotted a new lump on my body every day for a week – the cause was terrifying, I'm riddled
A WOMAN who found a new lump on her body every day for a week was terrified to learn the true cause. Kaylee Engle was just 22 when she found a bump under her skin by her breast, which she initially dismissed. 14 14 14 But when she continued to spot new lumps forming in different parts of her body, she knew something was amiss. Doctors initially thought the lumps peppering Kaylee's body could be cysts. But a chest X-ray found the true cause – stage four melanoma, which had spread throughout her body, including seven tumours in her brain, and more than 20 tumours in each of her lungs. 'I found out in the hallway of the emergency room, after being there for nine hours, and was in shock,' Kaylee, who works as a nanny and is based in Toronto, Canada, said. 'There were at least 20 tumours in each of my lungs – doctors were unable to count them all. 'They did so many tests, biopsies and scans – it was all such a blur. 'It was terrifying learning new information about my disease, which felt like every five minutes. 'And it was shocking knowing just how much cancer was in my body. 'They found seven brain tumours, at least 18 in my liver, and at least 20 in each lung, plus two beside my heart, and tumours in my spine and adrenal gland. 'It's so widespread – it's everywhere.' Kaylee experienced some subtle symptoms in the month before her diagnosis - but the severity of her diagnosis came as a complete shock. She said: 'I had been feeling off for the past month or so, but it was nothing super unusual since I had just moved, gotten into a new relationship, and had a lot going on. 'I had lost 20lbs without trying, and felt nauseous and threw up a lot, and found I was getting tired easily. 'But it was nothing severe.' 14 14 Alarm bells started to ring in June 2023 when she found the lump near her breast. Kaylee said, 'The following week, I found another lump every day. 'The first two were in my right breast, then I found one above my ribs, on my stomach and my neck – and some of my lymph nodes were swollen as well.' She went to get checked out at a walk-in clinic, and says her doctor initially believed the lump was a cyst, and scheduled an ultrasound several months down the line. But Kaylee grew concerned when she began vomiting again the following day and decided to go to hospital, where she had a scan that revealed she had cancer. What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it? Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body. It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year. The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK. But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable. The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds. People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer. Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin. Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease. What are the symptoms? The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin. Most experts recommend using the simple 'ABCDE' rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body. There are five letters/words to remember: A symmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape B order – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border C olours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours D iameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter E nlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma. But other signs to look out for include moles that are: Swollen and sore Bleeding Itchy Crusty How deadly is it? Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. The outlook of a person's disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. Survival is better for women than it is for men. 'We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,' says Cancer Research UK. The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed. Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 - when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin - will survive for five years or more after drops to 80 per cent for stage 2. Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes. At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more. Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people. What is melanoma? Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin. When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun's rays. But melanocytes are also where cancer starts. Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin's DNA. The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth. People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin. Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all. She said: 'I was concerned and felt like it was something much worse [than a cyst]. 'I did so much Googling before I ended up in the ER and was convinced it was cancer – something in me just knew something was not right. "By the time I was diagnosed, I was already convinced I had cancer, but even so, finding out for sure was a shock. "But it felt validating that I knew something was wrong with my body. "Before, when they were finding nothing, I felt so defeated because I just knew something was wrong." 'May never be cancer-free' Kaylee soon started immunotherapy, as well as radiation to treat the tumours in her brain. Though she received a stage four melanoma diagnosis and the cancer is widespread throughout her body, her prognosis isn't necessarily terminal and doctors are optimistic about her treatment options. As of May 2025, she is undergoing another round of treatment and is currently stable. The 22-year-old said she was healthy before her diagnosis, though she had several moles removed as doctors feared they could turn into melanoma. Now, Kaylee is facing the prospect of being in continued treatment for the rest of her life. 14 14 She said, 'I likely may never be cancer-free, but even just being stable is amazing news. 'There are so many more melanoma treatments coming out now, which is incredible, and there are a couple of trials that I may qualify for coming up soon. 'I will try anything to let me live a full life. 'But I'm just enjoying every day as much as I can and I have a lot of hope for the future, whether that be treatment ongoing, or becoming cancer free, which is the ideal goal for me – and which I know I can achieve eventually.' She is now focusing her efforts on raising awareness on TikTok, where she has more than 10,000 followers and videos garnering millions of views. Kaylee added: 'It's important for me [to share my story online] because I want to spread awareness for melanoma and also just advocate for ourselves in the medical system. 'I have had to quickly learn to advocate for myself, and I want to empower other people to know that they can do the same. 'We know our bodies best and should be listened to. 'As well as urging people to be cautious with their skin, wearing SPF, being careful of sunburns, avoiding indoor tanning, and doing yearly skin checks and getting things checked if we think something is wrong. 'Early detection for skin cancer saves lives, and although mine was not caught until stage four, that doesn't have to be the norm.' 14 14
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
York runner's joy at marathon success after brain tumour surgery
A runner has spoken of his joy at finishing the London Marathon in his fastest ever time after having only last year being diagnosed with two brain tumours, one the size of a tennis Wade, 41, from Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, had undergone five operations - one of which left him temporarily unable to walk - before taking part in April's initially feeling "hopeless" following his treatment, and amid doctors' warnings that his condition was life-limiting, he was able to take up running Wade, who finished last month's London Marathon in three hours and 16 minutes, said: "I was really pleased it all went well and it was my fastest ever marathon." Mr Wade said he started suffering from light sensitivity and stroke-like symptoms in April 2024, as well as weakness down his left side. He was an experienced marathon runner and "super fit", so assumed it was just a hangover or tiredness. But after a "precautionary" MRI scan, it was found that in fact he had two tumours - a grade four astrocytoma tumour the size of a tennis ball on the right side of his brain and another golf ball-sized growth in the middle of his Wade said: "Weirdly, in my head, one would have been OK, but two…"You know, if you've got two brain tumours, surely you just die." Doctors told Mr Wade he might have had the tumours for up to 20 years and his symptoms were caused when his brain "eventually just ran out of space".He was referred to UCL Hospital and in June he underwent an eight-hour surgery, known as a "de-bulking", to remove the larger he woke up, he could not open his left hand or walk, so had to work with physiotherapists to regain Wade said re-learning to walk on his own made him feel like running a marathon was a "million miles away", but within two days he was able to walk and within a month he could said: "I love a challenge and I love a battle. I'm 41 and super fit and I'm determined we're going to battle through it."Although Mr Wade is still being treated for a recurring skin infection, he said he still felt "incredibly fit and healthy" now."I kind of thought I was fit enough to get a Personal Best, but there's no way I would have got through this without the support of my family, friends and particularly my wife Eleanor."Claire Wood Hill, chief executive of The National Brain Appeal charity, said the £19,000 Mr Wade had raised by running the London Marathon would go towards "finding new ways to diagnose, treat and ultimately cure a range of neurological conditions". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
