A woman claims she ‘might not have had to have her breast removed’ at the age of just 23 if doctors hadn’t dismissed her for being ‘too young’ to have cancer.
Former law student Alicia Mcgoogan started feeling pain and discomfort in her right breast in December 2021, but just put it down to being her time of the month.
However, when her nipple began leaking a sticky, yellow discharge, she went to see her GP.
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Alicia was eventually transferred to the breast clinic at Burnley General Teaching Hospital, where she was told she had a blockage in her milk duct, and in January 2022 had a microdochectomy to remove the duct, which showed it was a benign tumour.
But she wasn’t out of the woods yet, as she’d found a lump on her breast.
After mentioning it to a nurse, she was told it was likely just scar tissue from the procedure, but the lump grew bigger.
Pushing for further tests, Alicia had a mammogram and biopsy - before being diagnosed with stage two breast cancer on 18 May.
As the lump had grown to 8mm and the cancer had spread from the nipple to surrounding breast tissue and chest wall, she had to have a full mastectomy of her right breast.
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Alicia, of Manchester, Greater Manchester, said: "The doctors said plenty of times that I was probably too young to have breast cancer.
"They kind of said 'don't worry, you're very young, it's highly, highly unlikely for it to be breast cancer'.
"It's only when I came in and said that I wanted another scan [mammogram] and they agreed that's when the ball started rolling in terms of finding out it was cancer.”
She continued: "During that time, this tumour had about four months to grow to get to the point of stage two where it had actually spread from my nipple to the surrounding breast tissue and chest wall.
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"I feel like if the cancer was caught earlier on, then the chances of me having a mastectomy would have been reduced.
"It may have been where I would have had a lumpectomy instead, where they take the tumour out and I get to keep my breast.
"But because of the time that it had to grow and spread to different parts of my breast, the only option was to remove the full breast.
"I do feel like if they would have caught it quicker I would have had a better chance of saving it.
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"The tumours do grow very quickly, so it's definitely like a race against the clock."
After having a mastectomy, Alicia had IVF treatment followed by six cycles of chemotherapy, before starting proton beam therapy this month.
Once she’s recovered, she is due to have surgery to reconstruct her breast.
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East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has apologised that Alicia feels she did not get the support she needed, saying when she gets in touch directly it will investigate the matter.
Alicia, who is now 24, is keen to raise awareness for anyone with breast cancer symptoms not to allow themselves to be ‘brushed under the carpet’ if dismissed by doctors due to their age.
According to Cancer Research UK, the first symptom of breast cancer most people notice is a lump in their breast or some thickening.
Breast symptoms to look out for also include: a new lump or thickening in your breast or armpit; change in size, shape or feel of your breast; skin changes in the breast such as puckering, dimpling, a rash or redness of the skin; fluid leaking from the nipple in a woman who isn’t pregnant or breast feeding; and changes in the position of nipple.
Alicia said her experience had been a ‘whirlwind’, but wanted to try and stay positive.
"I just want to raise awareness of if women have any symptoms of breast cancer, not to just brush it under the carpet if they're turned away from the doctor because of their age,” she added.
"Just keep pressing on and getting to the bottom of things and keep asking for scans and not to ignore the symptoms if they know it's not right.”
A spokesperson for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We know every cancer diagnosis is devastating for patients and their families and everyone at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is working each and every day to treat cancer as quickly as possible and save lives.
"We are sorry Alicia feels she did not get the support she needed. We would encourage her to contact us directly so we can talk to her about her concerns and look into her experience.
"If anyone is worried about any symptoms they think could be cancer, speak to a GP urgently. It's important to remind people also that you can help to reduce your risk of cancer through maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding exposure to known cancer-causing substances and taking, when offered, medicines or vaccines that can prevent cancer from developing."
Tyla has reached out to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust for further comment.
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