Doctors told me my disturbing symptom was ‘just hormones’ – it was actually cancer

A 26-year-old cancer patient was left outraged after a GP dismissed her bleeding nipple and breast lump as ‘just hormones’ — and told her she ‘didn’t meet the criteria’ for breast cancer.

However, a subsequent biopsy performed by a breast clinic revealed the business manager in fact had early stage breast cancer which left her needing a mastectomy to stop the disease from spreading. 

Courtney Bailey, from Newcastle, is now awaiting further test results that will determine whether or not she’s cancer free. 

She said: ‘I was told all the time that I was too young. We need to shift this mindset that you’re too young to have cancer because anyone can have it. I was made to feel like it was nothing.’

It comes as breast cancer rates in those aged 25 to 49 have risen by nearly a fifth since 1990, according to Cancer Research UK. 

Ms Bailey’s concerns began in June, when she noticed a blood-stained water droplet on her left nipple after coming out the shower.

She visited her GP the next day but claims she was told she ‘did not fit the criteria’ to be referred and her symptoms were likely due to a ‘hormone imbalance’.

Days later she discovered a  small, hard lump under the same nipple and returned to the GP — yet even after further testing she was still reportedly told there was ‘no cause for concern’. 

Ms Bailey was then referred to a breast clinic where she was told that she likely had a cyst or blocked milk duct, which would clear up on its own.

However, a precautionary biopsy found she had precancerous cells trapped within her milk ducts and she was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) — early breast cancer.

Around 7,300 women are diagnosed with DCIS in the UK each year, according to Cancer Research UK. It means that some of the cells in the lining of the milk ducts have begun to multiply rapidly, as they do when cancer develops.

Many people do not have symptoms when they are diagnosed and it is often picked up during routine mammograms as part of the UK’s Breast Screening Programme.

However, a small number of patients will notice a lump in the breast and/or discharge from the nipple which might be blood stained, and possibly a rash on the nipple that can be red and scaly.   

Ms Bailey’s biopsy also revealed precancerous cells outside of the milk ducts and in the rest of the breast. In order to prevent the disease from spreading further, she  opted to undergo the removal of her left breast, and was fitted with an implant.

Now, she is awaiting the final test results to see if any cancer remains in the tissue, and is urging other women to push doctors for referrals if they spot anything of concern.

‘Since I’ve been diagnosed, I haven’t felt any type of way about it. I sort of mentally checked out. When you hear that word “cancer”, you instantly think death and I’m going to have no hair,’ she said. 

‘Originally the plan was to do a lumpectomy and the grade of the cancer would determine if I needed further treatment.

‘But after they found more precancerous cells, I said to my consultant that it would make more sense to do a mastectomy and she agreed.

‘Because doing two lumpectomies in my natural breast wouldn’t have left me with any shape.’

Ms Bailey said she saw the mastectomy as a ‘life or death decision’ — and immediately disregarded any concerns with self-image after her diagnosis.

She said: ‘It really put my mind at ease because everything has been scooped out and I know they haven’t missed anything.

‘When I got diagnosed, my perspective on life changed. Things like your body image become so minor.’

Ms Bailey wants her diagnosis to inform others that cancer can affect anyone of any age.

‘The GP and nurses were following criteria set out by the National Health Service. But you can’t categorise someone’s health based on their age. Anyone can get cancer,’ she said. 

‘If there’s anything unusual in your body, you’re well within your rights to ask for a referral.

‘When people aren’t taking you seriously, it adds to the stress. I’m lucky that I actually had symptoms and it was caught this early.

‘I never thought at the age of 26, I would have one breast, but I’m proof it can happen to anybody.’