A mum-of-three who claimed her GP mistook signs of bowel cancer for a urinary infection three times has urged others to be mindful of the tell-tale signs of the disease.
Last August, Zoe Gardner-Lawson, a resident of Bracknell, Berkshire, first called her family physician after experiencing a sudden, dull, and persistent discomfort in her lower back.
However, the 36-year-old was repeatedly prescribed antibiotics for over a month, despite the pain worsening.
Then, in September, after complaining the pain had extended to her abdomen leaving her bedridden, she was advised by her GP to head straight to A&E.
Initial tests indicated she may be suffering from kidney stones.
It was only after a full-body CT scan that doctors confirmed she had a 5cm tumour on her bowel and the HR manager was diagnosed with stage four cancer—the most serious kind that means it’s spread elsewhere in the body.
Now undertaking her fifth round of chemotherapy Ms Gardner-Lawson is calling for the bowel cancer screening minimum age to be lowered to ‘at least’ 30.
Recalling her horrifying ordeal, she said: ‘My professor Jamie Murphy, told me that I could’ve been living with this tumour for up to four years before my diagnosis — that’s terrifying.
‘If all goes well, I still have a chance at achieving a “no evidence of disease” status, but it all depends on these next couple of years.
‘I’m young enough that they’re not considering it a terminal diagnosis just yet.’
‘The plan is, once I’ve had my sixth round of chemo, they’re hoping I’ll have responded well,’ she added.
‘All being well, I’ll need to be booked in for a second surgery—to remove remaining stomach lymph nodes and two tumours on my liver.’
There are about 44,000 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK and 142,000 in the US, making it the fourth most common cancer in both countries.
But cases are increasing in young people, an alarming trend that professionals have connected to modern diets, chemical exposure and lifestyles.
Constant and fresh diarrhoea or constipation, the urge or sense of wanting to poop more or less regularly, and blood in the stool are all signs of colon cancer.
Stomach pain, a lump in the stomach, bloating, unexpected weight loss and fatigue are among other common signs.
For guidance, anybody exhibiting these symptoms should speak with their general practitioner.
Having always felt ‘fit and healthy’ and seldom worried about her health, Ms Gardner-Lawson said she was shocked when she started experiencing lower back pain and booked a phone appointment with her GP.
‘There was just no change and by my third dose [of antibiotics], I’d really deteriorated,’ she said.
‘I was basically bedridden—I felt so unwell, and the back pain had spread to my abdomen.’
It was only after a fourth appointment with her GP on September 19 that she was advised to go to A&E.
‘My blood was checked for infection markers, called creatine reactive protein,’ she added.
‘They were rising, until they reached 364n/mol—a normal range for women is 52.9n/mol and 91.9n/mol.
‘A general surgeon came to see me, and he said it looked like I had fluid build-up on my abdomen.
‘I threw my toys out the pram then, I told them I wasn’t going to leave until I had a full-body CT.’
Results revealed she had a lime-sized tumour on her bowel that had spread to her liver, peritoneum—a membrane that surrounds the abdominal organs—and stomach lymph nodes.
After being moved to the Cleveland Clinic in central London, she underwent a four-hour operation in October to remove as much of the tumour as possible and was told she’d need chemotherapy.
‘I’ve tolerated it as well as anybody can, it’s pretty hardcore,’ Ms Gardner-Lawson said.
‘I’m on round five of eight in total—it’s three chemo drugs per round.
‘I’ve basically just taken the approach to throw the kitchen sink at it, improve my prognosis as much as possible.’
Earlier this month her sister Lisa also set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise funds for other potentially life-saving treatment and day-to-day help such as cash for extra child care, to lift the financial weight off Ms Gardner-Lawson’s shoulders.
To date, it has raised nearly £7,000.
Ms Gardner-Lawson also believes if she had been offered a faecal immunochemical test [FIT] earlier, doctors may have caught her cancer years ago.
People aged 60 to 74 years who are registered with a GP practice and live in England are automatically mailed a FIT kit every two years.
But as part of plans to lower the age of people that receive the test to age 50 by 2025, the kits are also presently rolled out to those aged 54 and over.
A tiny sample of faeces is taken from the toilet using a small stick that is given, and it is then sent back to an NHS lab in a plastic container.
Scientists then check for small amounts of blood in the poo—that would not be visible to the naked eye—as this could be an early indication something is amiss.
Now, Ms Gardner-Lawson believes the standard testing age should be lowered to at least 30 if not 25.
‘If my disease was caught earlier, it would’ve been easier to treat… I think the minimum age for testing needs to be reduced,’ she added.
Her ordeal comes as experts continue to warn of a troubling rise in bowel cancers in under 50s, which has puzzled doctors around the world.
The disease, the third most common cancer in the UK, is the same type that killed Dame Deborah James at age 40 in 2022.
Although the vast majority of diagnoses affect those aged over 50, rates in older age groups have either declined or held steady while diagnoses in younger adults have increased by 50 percent over the last 30 years.
Cancer Research UK estimates that over half (54 percent) of bowel cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
Obesity, excessive use of antibiotics, radiation from cell phones, and even undetectable plastic particles in drinking water have all been proposed by doctors as possible causes.
But an increasing number of specialists are also blaming ultra-processed meals for the problem.
FIT tests may be purchased online. It might save someone’s life and isn’t costly.
Unfortunately, it’s a never-ending circle with these second-guessing GPs. They should not be guessing or playing Russian roulette with people’s lives. If they’re not confident that they diagnosed the patient correctly, then they should refer to a consultant.
Doctors will always guess the least serious option and treatment, rather than a referral to rule out the worst scenario because referrals cost money which in turn affects their profits, and primary care is not working. They were given more money for doing less. The caring aspect has long since gone.
Once the issue is recognised and addressed, the NHS is excellent. The issue is that scheduling an appointment with a general practitioner is very hard, and when you do, you are dismissed.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 