I was given all-clear from rare breast cancer - only to be diagnosed with a different type in my other breast just weeks later

After astir 18 months of gruelling bosom cancer treatment, Jess Parsons yet sewage nan news she hoped for precocious past twelvemonth – her tumour was gone.

'It was an incredibly affectional moment,' says nan 38-year-old who useful successful quality resources. 'I was crying bucketloads. It had been touch-and-go, a year-and-a-half of not knowing if I would spot my 2 children turn up, spell to assemblage aliases get married.'

But conscionable 5 weeks later, successful early January, Jess, from Bath, was fixed devastating news. She had developed crab again, this clip successful her different breast. What's more, it was a wholly different crab and unrelated to her first diagnosis.

Jane Murphy, elder objective caregiver master astatine Breast Cancer Now, says: 'Getting bosom crab earlier nan property of 50 is uncommon successful itself, truthful to get a test doubly successful specified a short clip is highly rare. I person ne'er seen a lawsuit for illustration this.'

Not only was nan arena a aesculapian anomaly, it was besides a crushing rustle to Jess and her family, who had only conscionable celebrated her cleanable measure of wellness and begun to scheme for a cancer-free future.

'It was awful,' says Jess. 'I thought location must beryllium immoderate mistake. Even my surgeon couldn't comprehend really I had sewage crab again truthful soon and that it was thing to do pinch nan first tumour. My husband, Matt, was shocked. Nobody could judge what was happening.'

About 55,000 women and 400 men successful nan UK are diagnosed pinch bosom crab each twelvemonth – astir 1 lawsuit each 10 minutes. Huge advances successful curen successful nan past decade mean 9 retired of 10 are still live 5 years aft being diagnosed.

However, endurance rates thin to beryllium little if nan tumour – known arsenic nan superior crab – has migrated to different parts of nan body, specified arsenic nan different breast, lungs, liver aliases brain. This is known arsenic a secondary cancer, and is not nan aforesaid arsenic processing a caller type of cancer.

Some investigation suggests that group who person antecedently had crab person a heightened consequence of processing a 2nd superior tumour astatine immoderate constituent later successful life, but cases wherever this occurs wrong months are almost unheard of.

Jess – who has an eight-year-old son, Stanley, and a two-year-old daughter, Ines – was only 36 successful 2022 erstwhile she discovered a lump successful her correct bosom while nursing newborn Ines. She raised it pinch her GP but, astatine nan time, was not worried that nan lump could beryllium cancer. 'I thought it was astir apt a blocked beverage duct aliases a cyst – I was measurement excessively young for it to beryllium cancer,' she says.

But a biopsy astatine nan Royal United Hospitals Bath confirmed that not only did Jess person bosom cancer, but it was a very uncommon type of tumour. Called metaplastic squamous compartment carcinoma, nan illness accounts for little than 2 per cent of bosom crab cases. The causes are mostly unknown. 'It's truthful uncommon that I sewage frightened they mightiness not cognize really to dainty it,' Jess admits.

What makes Jess's lawsuit moreover much singular – and unspeakable – is that she has nary family history of bosom cancer, which is simply a cardinal facet that determines nan likelihood of crab occurring. Subsequent DNA testing besides revealed nary evident familial mutations that accrued Jess's consequence of nan disease.

What followed was a reliable curen authorities of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy – narcotics which train nan immune strategy conflict disconnected nan cancer. Jess besides had a mastectomy – nan surgical removal of her correct breast.

By nan clip nan tumour was removed, it had grown to astir 7.5cm – astir nan size of a peach.

'I recovered nan chemotherapy really tough. I managed to debar losing excessively overmuch of my hairsbreadth but nan fatigue was crippling. I'd beryllium talking to Matt connected nan sofa 1 2nd and zonked retired nan next. It was truthful bad I couldn't beryllium near unsocial pinch Ines, who was a babe astatine nan time.'

A CT scan successful November brought nan news Jess had longed for: nan crab was gone. 'It felt for illustration I had been suffocating for 18 months and I could respire again,' she says.

She was truthful relieved she almost didn't be her yearly bosom crab screening connected her remaining near bosom a fewer weeks later.

As group who acquisition bosom crab early successful life are deemed astatine consequence of recurrence, they are invited for an X-ray to surface for it, called a mammogram, each twelvemonth aft their curen until they scope 50. They are past invited for regular screenings, offered to each women aged 50 to 71 each 3 years.

Younger women are not offered mammograms arsenic their consequence of processing nan illness is low, but are encouraged to regularly cheque their breasts for lumps.

Jess changed her mind astir not attending nan screening aft a crab caregiver explained that a mammogram tin often spot crab cells missed by a CT scan. The determination whitethorn person saved her life.

'A week aliases truthful later I sewage a missive from nan NHS bosom screening work to opportunity it had highlighted thing suspicious successful my near bosom that needed investigating,' she says. 'I started hyperventilating. It was a really reliable moment.'

Jess underwent different biopsy, and successful January was fixed nan gut-wrenching news that she had bosom crab for a 2nd time.

The caller tumour is different from nan first – a ductal carcinoma successful situ, a very early shape of nan illness which affects beverage ducts.

Jess has now undergone a 2nd mastectomy and is astir to embark connected chemotherapy. 'I'm still successful a authorities of daze but besides hopeful arsenic it has been caught early,' she says.

Experts opportunity it is important that women who person had bosom crab do not put disconnected screening.

'Anyone who's had bosom crab successful 1 of their breasts has a somewhat higher consequence of processing a caller superior bosom cancer,' says Sally Kum, subordinate head of nursing and wellness accusation astatine Breast Cancer Now.

'That's why it's captious that they proceed to cheque their breasts and get thing different checked.'

Jess agrees: 'I'm truthful gladsome I had my mammogram. I'd impulse each women who get nan chance to do truthful and anyone excessively young for screening to cheque their breasts regularly.'

To return portion successful Breast Cancer Now's Pink Ribbon Walk spell to breastcancernow.org/prw