Doctors said my shoulder pain was a pulled muscle – it was actually late-stage cancer at 32…here are the subtle warning signs I missed

A woman who had already fought cancer once has claimed medics dismissed her now terminal illness for a pulled muscle. 

Holly Bedford, from Torquay, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma — one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer — in 2019 at the age of just 27.

But after quickly having the cancerous mole removed, the early years practitioner was given the all clear by medics.

In March, however, the now 32-year-old developed a persistent chesty cough.

After failing to shift it with antibiotics, she visited the GP repeatedly, where she claims she was told it was due to a virus and then a pulled muscle. 

It was only on her fourth visit to the doctor, and after persisting with a request for a scan, that she was finally offered an X-ray. 

Medics discovered her cancer had returned and she was diagnosed with stage four melanoma, meaning it had spread to three other parts of her body — the neck, thorax and abdomen. 

Now Ms Bedford, who works at Southern Wood Nursery in Torquay, is urging young people not to ignore red flag signs, amid the explosion in cases of the disease in young people.

But after quickly having the cancerous mole removed, the early years practitioner was given the all clear by medics. Pictured, with twin sister Nikki at her hen party earlier this month

Along with bowel, breast and lung cancers, melanoma skin cancers are also rising among 25-49 year-olds.

According to Cancer Research UK, incidence of the disease in young adults has increased by more than 60 per cent since the early 90s.

However, the cancer is also rising in older adults, said to be due to increased UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds.

Recalling her heartbreaking diagnosis, Ms Bedford told MailOnline the first sign something was up in 2019 was that a mole on the right side of her forehead ‘just got bigger and darker’.

She said: ‘I didn’t think anything of it but went and got it checked for cosmetic reasons as it had become more noticeable.

‘It was really light initially but as it got darker it looked like a piece of chocolate on my head.’

After she was referred to dermatology by her GP, scans showed it was a malignant melanoma and the mole was removed. 

‘They had to take some more skin off my forehead to see if it had spread. But it hadn’t,’ she added, and believed her nightmare was over. 

‘Then I just had regular checks. I saw the cancer nurses every three months. There was no treatment and no scans, it was just body checks.’

A year later she reported some pain in her chest and a scan showed she had an enlarged thymus gland — which sits between the chest and the lungs — but no further action was taken. 

In March, however, the now 32-year-old developed a persistent chesty cough. After failing to shift it with antibiotics, she visited the GP repeatedly, where she claims she was told it was due to a virus and then a pulled muscle

It was only after she reminded the GP on her fourth visit in August that a scan in 2020 showed she had an enlarged thymus gland that she was referred for an X-ray. Pictured (second right) at Nikki’s hen party

In February this year however, she returned from a year working in Australia. 

After developing the cough in March, she was given antibiotics during her first GP visit. 

When it failed to clear,  she returned to her surgery and was told she had a viral infection. 

A third visit saw her diagnosed with a pulled muscle in her chest. 

When the pain didn’t improve, she visited the doctor for a fourth time, and reminded the GP about the inflammation in her thymus gland that was detected in an earlier scan.

It was only then that she was referred for an X-ray and later a CT scan, which revealed the most advanced phase of melanoma. 

Around 15,000 Britons and 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year, the most common form of skin cancer. 

It is the fifth most common cancer in the UK.

Medics discovered her cancer had returned and she was diagnosed with stage four melanoma, meaning it had spread to three other parts of her body — the neck, thorax and abdomen. Pictured, Holly (left)

Now Ms Bedford (left), who works at Southern Wood Nursery in Torquay, is urging others not to ignore any worrying signs and ‘trust your gut’ if you know something is wrong

Despite huge strides forward in treatment that has seen survival leap from less than 50 per cent to more than 90 per cent in the past decade, it still kills more than 2,000 people a year. 

Melanoma begins in melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin and give skin its colour.

However it can grow rapidly and enter the bloodstream, leading to tumours invading other parts of the body — this is know as stage four cancer.

At this stage, treatment becomes tricky: fewer than half of patients with stage four melanoma survive more than five years from diagnosis.

Ms Bedford was immediately prescribed a type of targeted cancer drug called cancer growth inhibitors.

They work by blocking the growth factors that trigger cancer cells to divide and grow. 

‘This was because my cancer was in three different places and aggressive. I didn’t have enough time to get on the chemo or the immunotherapy,’ she told MailOnline. 

‘They’re there to stop any spread and hopefully contain and reduce the tumors. 

There are three types of skin cancer. Each can present itself in different ways. These include moles that are either asymmetrical or abnormal, scaly or dark patches and  waxy bumps on the surface of the skin 

‘The hope is then to move on to immunotherapy.’

A CT scan this Friday at Torbay Hospital will also provide further detail on how Ms Bedford can continue treatment. 

‘We’re expecting results on December 3. But for now all we can do is just stay really positive,’ she added. 

Ms Bedford is now urging others to know what symptoms not to ignore, in light of her shock diagnosis. 

She told MailOnline: ‘Do not put off getting a cough checked out and trust your gut. Don’t be fobbed off.

‘I wasn’t feeling well, I was also iron deficient. My fatigue, pain and loss of appetite should have prompted investigation a lot earlier.

‘I shouldn’t have had to remind them of my medical history.’

In October, her twin sister Nikki also set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money for additional potentially life-saving treatment privately and help her day-to-day as she is not well enough to work at present.

To date it has raised over £14,000. 

‘Holly is a true fighter and inspiration,’ Nikki said. 

Holly has the biggest heart, she is super generous. Let’s beat this cancer we are stronger together.’

It comes as scientists in June revealed that a skin cancer vaccine being trialled by the NHS can halve the risk of dying or the disease returning, new results show.

In the longest study on the treatment yet, melanoma patients given the personalised vaccine alongside the immunotherapy drug Keytruda were half more likely to be alive three years later.

The risk of cancer returning and death dropped by 49 per cent compared to patients who were just taking Keytruda alone, which is the current standard of care.

Developed by pharma giants Moderna and MSD, the vaccine is custom-built for individuals using the specific genetic makeup of their tumour — giving it the best chance of a cure.