I blew my nose and spotted the ONLY sign of cancer that had spread to my breasts, liver and lungs – now I’m running out of time

A fit and active mum has told how she dismissed signs of her rare late-stage cancer as the lingering after effects of a cold.

Wendy White, who lives on the outskirts of Worcester, initially contacted her GP in December 2022 when she was left suffering constant nosebleeds. 

But the now 58-year-old claimed she was told twice by her family doctor it was merely sinusitis — inflammation of the sinuses usually caused by a cold.

It was only in January 2023 after blowing out what she believed was a blood clot from her nose, that a jelly-bean shaped growth suddenly appeared in her nostril a day later. 

At a third GP appointment, she was told it was likely a polyp and referred to an ear, nose and throat surgeon. 

Yet after it was removed, she was given the shocking news the growth wasn’t a polyp but mucosal melanoma — a rare aggressive form of skin cancer. 

Scans then revealed it was stage four, the most serious kind that means it’s spread elsewhere in the body — her breast, lungs and liver. 

Now Mrs White, who works as a HR manager, is urging others not to ‘take no for an answer’ from their doctors if they think something isn’t right, amid an explosion in cases of the disease. 

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. 

Recalling her heartbreaking diagnosis, Mrs White told MailOnline: ‘I kept going back to the doctors, and they kept saying to me, “oh it’s sinusitis”.

‘I was consistently blowing out blood, then suddenly I blew out what I thought was a blood clot and my nose was clear for a day.

‘I just thought, great it’s gone, that’s cleared it. I took a photo of it, I’ve still got the photo. I just thought it was gross. 

‘But it blocked up again almost immediately and a day later the jelly bean appeared.

‘In January, after I phoned the doctor surgery again they said “you can have an appointment at the end of January”. I said “absolutely not” and I got an appointment that day. 

‘That’s when I was referred to an ear, nose and throat surgeon because they thought it was a polyp.’ 

Told she would have to wait indefinitely on an NHS waiting list to get the growth removed, she used her private medical insurance and underwent the procedure at the end of January. 

‘They wouldn’t tell me exactly how long I’d need to wait on the NHS, just it was going to be a long waiting list. I’m really grateful I had private healthcare,’ she said. 

‘I knew it wasn’t right. I knew there was something wrong, and I wasn’t prepared to have this thing hanging out my nose any longer.’

After the procedure, she returned to the clinic two weeks later for a routine check-up.

‘That’s when I was told it was cancer and I was referred to consultant Shahz Ahmed, who specialises in sinus and skull surgery,’ Mrs White told MailOnline. 

‘It came completely out the blue. Never in a million years did I think they’d mention cancer.

‘I was super fit. I used to run twice a week, go to the gym, do yoga, eat healthily.’

Mucosal melanoma is a rare form of melanoma that makes up just 2 per cent of all melanoma cases, with around 150 to 250 cases each year in the UK.

It occurs in mucous membranes — the moist surfaces that line the cavities within the body, such as the mouth and nose. 

The cancer 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.

According to the charity Melanoma Focus, there are currently no known risk factors, for the condition including genetic or environmental causes like UV exposure from the sun.

But common signs of the disease include persistent hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, a lump in the neck, a persistent sore throat, earache, nasal congestion or nosebleeds.

As mucosal melanomas tend to occur in less visible places and are not always pigmented, it can make them even more difficult to spot, meaning they are often diagnosed at a later stage. 

Studies have suggested the five-year survival rate for all stages of mucosal melanoma is as little as 14 percent.

In more than a fifth of all cases, the cancer has also already spread to another part of the body upon diagnosis. 

Heartbreakingly Mrs White had undergone a full body health check in late 2022, just weeks before her diagnosis which had come back ‘absolutely fine’.  

‘On the 31st of October 2022, I also had a routine mammogram, and that was clear,’ she told MailOnline. 

‘Yet two weeks after discovering the tumour in my nose in January 2023 and running more tests, they found I had a tumor in my breast as well as in my liver and five in my lungs.

‘They even got the mammogram out and check to see whether something was missed and it wasn’t missed. The tumour just wasn’t there. The cancer was that aggressive.’

In April 2023 she underwent surgery to remove the primary seven-centimetre-long tumour, just below her brain and behind her eye. 

She has since undergone more than 25 rounds of immunotherapy, with her last scheduled for next month. 

She said: ‘They’re going to do PET and MRI scans to check if the tumours are there. 

‘If they’re live, they may have to operate again to remove them but thankfully I’ve responded well to treatment.

‘The tumour they found in my breast back in 2023 was so small, that when they told me I couldn’t feel it at all.

‘But within a matter of weeks it grew to the size of a golf ball.

‘I would be sitting here in the evening just watching the television could just grab hold of it, it was that massive.’

Just eight months after beginning immunotherapy, however, ‘there was absolutely nothing left of the tumour, it disappeared’, she added.

‘It’s an amazing treatment if you respond well to it.’

Now, in partnership with head and neck cancer charity Get A-Head, Mrs White is urging others to know what symptoms not to ignore, in light of her shock diagnosis. 

She told MailOnline: ‘I’m not going to let it beat me. 

‘I’m just determined that I’m going to get on with my life and do whatever I need to do.

‘If you truly believe there’s something wrong, pursue it. Just keep pushing and pushing and nagging. Listen to your gut feeling and don’t take no for an answer.

‘I feel so indebted to Mr Ahmed and want to do anything I can to help the cause. 

‘If my story can help raise awareness of head and neck cancer and encourage others to support Get A-Head, then sharing it is absolutely worth it.’

Danni Heath, director of Get A-Head, also said: ‘Recent evidence suggests there is a concerning rise in the number of people being diagnosed with head and neck cancers so the more we can do to drive awareness the better.

‘Wendy was right to continue seeking medical help when she knew things weren’t right and we would urge others to do the same. 

‘One of the biggest risks with head and neck cancer is late diagnosis so the more we can do to spread awareness about early symptoms the better.’