Tragic death of man, 35, with rare blood cancer

A FIT and healthy IT technician died just three months after starting to suffer from headaches and sinus pain, aged just 35.

An inquest heard that Douglas Walker actually had a rare type of blood cancer.

Mr Walker visited his GP on April 26, 2023, where he reported having headaches for a fortnight and a suspected sinus infection. He was initially given antibiotics but by May 5 he was admitted to Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro with a fever and headache.

He was treated for sepsis but further investigations diagnosed him with a progressive, rare form of leukemia called adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Despite feeling better after his first round of chemotherapy, he died at Royal Cornwall Hospital from a rare gastrointestinal complication associated with the treatment.

An inquest held at Cornwall’s Coroners’ Court in Truro on Wednesday, February 21, heard how Mr Walker, from Newquay, was deemed a “high-risk” patient due to his presentation from the beginning. Bryson Pottinger, consultant hematologist at Royal Cornwall Hospital, said nothing more could have been done to have saved his life and that intensive chemotherapy was the correct course given his prognosis.

He said GPs would see hundreds of patients presenting the same or similar symptoms each day to the initial symptoms experienced by Mr Walker, many of whom will never have had a case of AML on their hands.

He added that if the blood test that diagnosed him with the AML was carried out on the first visit to the GP, it may have meant doctors were a week ahead of dealing with the case. But he described it as a “rapidly progressive” type of leukemia for which events progressed much more quickly than doctors would usually expect.

Charlotte Kane, Mr Walker’s long-term partner, said he had been “so brave” throughout.

Ms Kane said in her statement that the care and support given to her and her partner “was overall incredible” although she had questions about dietary intake.

Mr Pottinger, addressing some of Ms Kane’s concerns, said Mr Walker already had an infected, inflamed bowel so he didn’t think diet changes would have helped by that point.

He added that his symptoms were a known side effect of other factors, including the antibiotics. Finally, he told Ms Kane and her family how attached the team were to Mr Walker, saying they were all very saddened by his death.

Emma Hillson, assistant coroner for Cornwall, concluded that Mr Walker had died from typhlitis, a recognised complication associated with the chemotherapy.