Doctors told woman, 24, she was pregnant when she had cancerous cyst

A woman was told she was pregnant even though her bloated tummy was actually due to a cancerous cyst

Emma College, 24, noticed there was a swelling in her abdomen and she was going to the toilet more in February 2022.

She thought it was probably due to allergies or IBS.

‘When I Googled my symptoms it always said that ovarian cancer is found in people mostly aged 50 and over,’ she said.

Even her doctors assumed it wasn’t cancer as she was in her early twenties, she told the BBC.

‘I went to the doctors in the May and they told me I was pregnant,’ Emma said. ‘I knew I wasn’t and the test confirmed that.’

She was given an appointment for further investigations, but before she could go to it the pain became so intense she went to A&E.

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An ultrasound while there showed a cyst, and she was eventually diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Emma had to have two gruelling operations, the first to remove the 30cm cyst itself as well as the ovary it was attached to.

The second surgery took over nine hours and included a hysterectomy, and removal of her appendix, spleen and part of her bowel which meant she needed a temporary stoma.

To reduce the risk of the cancer returning, Emma then had to have chemotherapy at the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Emma’s last chemotherapy treatment was in 2023 and scans since then have shown no sign of cancer returning.

With ovarian cancer casing rising among young people, Emma has now spoken out about her experiences to encourage others to know the symptoms.

Pain around the pelvis and tummy, feeling full quickly and bloating can all be signs of ovarian cancer, which can be hard to diagnose precisely because its symptoms can be ‘vague’.

The Teenage Cancer Trust said: ‘Knowing the signs of ovarian cancer is definitely a good idea, but remember that lots of conditions less serious than cancer can also cause these symptoms.’

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