Latest news with #stagefour
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors dismissed my common 'hormonal' problem...it was actually stage 4 cancer that's spread to my brain
A young cancer patient who has run out of treatment options has warned those under 50 never to assume they're 'too young' for cancer—after doctors dismissed her symptoms for three years due to her age. Lea Hughes, now 38, first spotted a small lump on her right breast aged 29, in 2015. But the former fashion marketer was told by her GP, on several occasions, that she 'didn't qualify' for further testing due to her young age and the fact no one in her family had suffered cancer. Doctors instead told her she just had 'lumpy breasts', known medically as fibrocystic tissue. This is harmless, bumpy, tender breast tissue that arises as a result of hormonal fluctuations triggered by the menstrual cycle. However, three years later, in 2018, she noticed another worrying symptom. 'I was putting a bikini on and I saw a shadow and a dimple [on my breast],' she said. 'When I explained it to doctors on the phone, they referred me straight to the hospital.' Ms Hughes, from The Wirral, underwent a mammogram and ultrasound scan, followed by a biopsy on the dimpled lump. Doctors delivered the devastating news that the breast lump was cancer, and performed further tests to see if the disease had spread throughout her body. 'They did full body scans—MRIs, PETs and bone scans,' she said. 'They learned it had spread to my liver and bones. 'I was diagnosed with stage four incurable cancer in a matter of weeks in April 2018 on Friday 13th, of all days.' Drug treatments managed to keep the cancer under control for a number of years, and in June 2022, she underwent a single mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy. The combination of treatment kept the disease stable for two years, until a routine scan in August 2024 showed her liver tumours had began to grow. Further imaging revealed that the cancer had also spread to her brain. 'With stage four breast cancer, you know it can spread to the brain and you do worry,' said Ms Hughes. 'But I didn't expect it then, because I had no symptoms at all.' In September 2024 she started whole-brain radiotherapy, followed by another round of chemotherapy. A further blow came in March this year, when she began suffering breathing difficulties. Tests revealed the cancer has spreas to her lungs, resulting in a build-up of four and a half litres of fluid, which doctors had to drain during a risky procedure. Now, Ms Hughes is midway through her sixth course of chemotherapy. She is fundraising to access a targeted cancer drug called Enhertu, which is not widely available on the NHS for women with her type and stage of cancer. Without NHS funding, it can cost over £10,000 per cycle. 'I always try to lean into the how sh***y this is, but also not giving in,' she said. 'But it does feel very real when things don't work. '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.' It comes amid an explosion of cancers in young people, which has baffled experts. In the UK, about 2,400 women aged 39 and under will be diagnosed with the disease each year, according to the charity Breast Cancer Now. But those statistics mask a creeping, upward trend. In 2023, a US study found that cancers of all types were on the rise for younger women—but curiously not men. While for women they increased overall by more than four per cent, for young men there was a dip of almost five per cent. A study published that year in the British Medical Journal Oncology, found that globally early-onset cancers rocketed by 79.1 per cent between 1990 and 2019. Breast cancer made up not just the largest number of these cases, but the largest portion of deaths from any form of cancer in under-50s.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'I got cancer at 24 - it can happen to you too'
"My doctors' surgery kept telling me I was too young, it couldn't possibly be breast cancer. I got dismissed for about six months."When Alice Greaves found a lump in her breast aged 24, she was told by a doctor she was "too young" for cancer. It was not until she pushed for a follow-up that she was finally diagnosed with stage three breast cancer - which would eventually spread to her lungs and brain. Now 26 and living with incurable cancer, Alice is determined to use her experience to help others by sharing her story on social media to challenge the myth that cancer only happens later in life. Two years on since her diagnosis, Alice, from Old Dalby in Leicestershire, has undergone a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. In May 2024, she was told the cancer had spread to her lungs. She had five tumours over her two lungs. Then, in March 2025, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Alice is currently living with stage four breast cancer, which she says is treatable, but incurable. "It is heartbreaking, because deep down I always knew that something wasn't quite right," she said.A spokesperson for NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board said: "Although we are unable to discuss the details of individual cases, we are very sorry to hear about Alice's diagnosis."If you are worried that you may have cancer you should come forward immediately to be checked in person by your GP."Treatment is more likely to be successful if cancer is diagnosed early, so it is vital not to ignore any changes to your body's normal processes or unusual, unexplained symptoms." 'The goal is to save lives' "On the way home from my diagnosis, my partner said, 'just remember - if anyone can, Alice can'."It's a phrase that stuck, and Alice decided to make it the name of her Instagram and TikTok accounts. Under the handle "if anyone can, Alice can", she documents the highs and lows of life with cancer, speaking openly about her misdiagnosis, and how symptoms in younger people are often overlooked. "Too many people get told they are too young. My tumour was 24 millimetres in size when I was diagnosed - it literally took up my whole breast. "It's so wrong that it got to that stage." According to Cancer Research UK, there are about 2,300 new cancer cases in young people every year, which is more than six every day. Whilst the charity said it was less common, Alice said it was vital young people know how to spot the signs and were taken seriously when they do. "I get so many messages on a daily basis from people thanking me for encouraging them to get checked. "It's really nice to know I've helped someone else," she her diagnosis, Alice has raised more than £250,000 for cancer charities. She is also an ambassador for the Leicester-based charity, Hope Against year, she raised more than £96,000 for the charity by cycling 126 miles (202km). This summer she will be back in the saddle, training for another long-distance ride and hoping to raise even more funds for cancer research, all while undergoing chemotherapy. Chief executive of Hope Against Cancer Nigel Rose said: "Alice has helped us to continue funding two expert research nurses at the Hope Cancer trial centre at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, where patients take part in clinical trials that can lead to new treatments and drugs. "By telling her story, she's done amazing things for us and cancer research locally."In recognition of her fundraising work, Alice was recently invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the King. Alice urges others to listen to their bodies and trust their gut. She said: "You need to get to know your normal. If you don't know your body, then how will you know anything's wrong?"You're not looking for cancer, you're simply getting to know yourself. Then if you come across something different, you know to get it checked."The NHS says common symptoms of breast cancer can include:A new lump or area of thickened tissue in the breastChanges to the skin such as puckering or dimplingChanges in the size or shape of one or both breastsDischarge from the nipple or a change in its appearance
