‘It could have been a different story’ – Mum urges others to check for breast cancer
“Had I waited one month, it could have been a different story” – these are the words of a Worthing mother-oftwo who was diagnosed with breast cancer during the pandemic.
Catherine Steele, 54, saw her GP straight away after discovering a ‘large lump’ in her breast the day before her daughter’s 21st birthday.
She is sharing her story for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust urges women in West Sussex to check their breasts regularly, report any unusual symptoms to their GP and attend routine breast screening appointments.
Catherine said finding the lump was ‘a huge shock’. “I hadn’t felt it there the last time I checked,” she said.
Her GP referred her to the breast clinic at Worthing hospital and after a number of
scans andbiopsies she wastold she had ‘an aggressive cancer’. “It was hard hitting,” she said. “My mind went to all sorts of places. I started planning my own funeral, imagining not being there to see my girls
settle down, not being able to help my older relatives.”
Following a mastectomy and removal of nearby lymph nodes, Catherine’s diagnosis was reduced to ‘stage two’.
She is now receiving chemotherapy and is hopeful about the future. “Had I waited one month, it could have been a different story,” she said.
Catherine, who works as a theatre nurse at the Trust, cared for Covid-19 patients in the hospital’s ITU department during the pandemic’s peak.
“I was very familiar with the measures in place to ensure safety during Covid-19, so I knew it was safe and important I had mysymptoms checked out,” she said.
“The whole multidisciplinary team have been absolutely fabulous. I have felt thoroughly supported and the care has been exceptional.”
The symptomatic breast service at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has seen a significant reduction in referrals amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Last month, there was a 20 per cent reduction compared to the same time last year.
Consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon Mr Dibendu Betal said: “It is concerning that potentially hundreds of patients are not reporting symptoms to their GPS, which could be risking delay in diagnosis.
“We run a ‘one-stop’ clinic that involves having a breast examination, breast imaging and tissue biopsy, known as triple-assessment, for early and rapid detection of breast cancer giving the best chance of treating and surviving cancer.”
Covid-19 has also impacted the number of women attending their screening – with almost one in two women in West Sussex not accepting their invitation to attend.
Dr Olga Strukowska, consultant radiologist and director of West Sussex Breast Screening Service, said this was ‘troubling’.
“Screening helps find breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel,” she said. “The scan is quick and simple and early detection of cancer may often mean simpler and more successful treatment.
“We have four mobile units that travel to 12 locations across West Sussex to make it as easy as possible for women to have these tests. The units have recently been refurbished to be Covid-safe.”