A Derbyshire teenager was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when medical professionals found a tumor the size of a rugby ball after she was initially misdiagnosed with period pain.
The 14-year-old girl's mother is now calling on authorities to provide childhood ovarian cancer screening after her daughter's condition was discovered. The teenager, Izzy Pickering, was found to have ovarian cancer in April. Doctors found a large tumor with a stem inside her ovary.
Teenager Diagnosed With Rugby Ball-Sized Tumor
Her initial symptoms included back pain, stomach aches, and vomiting, which led medical professionals to believe she was suffering from appendicitis or period pain. The latter was when she first visited A&E in November last year.
But during a second emergency room visit, the teenager's parents, Lisa and Wayne Pickering, urged doctors for a deeper investigation into their daughter's condition. The tests that were done after revealed that the 14-year-old girl had stage two cancer, according to the Independent.
The Pickering family's situation highlights a lack of a national screening program for ovarian cancer. The disease is known to account for about 7,500 new cases in the United Kingdom every year and primarily affects women over the age of 50.
After the teenage girl's diagnosis, doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor, as the cancer was detected relatively early. Medical professionals were also optimistic that chemotherapy would be very effective in helping Izzy fight against her disease.
Now, the 14-year-old girl's mother is advocating for increased awareness and testing for her daughter's illness, particularly in children. She said that there was not much talk about young girls who get ovarian cancer, MSN reported.
Period Pain Misdiagnosis
The mother said they want to spread the word about how the disease can affect girls as young as 14 years and urged parents not to take their children's symptoms for granted. She added that kids should be given access to screening when they start their period.
She argued that children should not have to wait until they are sexually active before they can get tested for ovarian cancer. A close friend of the family, Sarahjane Giles, launched a fundraiser for the teenager to support her family as they are taking time off from work to support their daughter's treatment.
The teenager was given blood transfusions overnight before doctors removed what they believed was all of her cancer. She was also placed in an induced coma for five days as doctors argued that "one small movement and her stitches would have ruptured," as per the Manchester Evening News.
