A Co Down woman has spoken of her experience after what she thought was a chest infection turned out to be cancer.
Amy Curran, 21, from Downpatrick, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2020 after a series of symptoms which could have attributed to a number of medical issues.
But it wasn't until a woman spotted the cancerous lump in Amy's neck while she was at work, did alarm bells begin to ring.
In a bid to help others know the signs and symptoms of cancer in young people, Amy has shared her story as part of a campaign from the Teenage Cancer Trust.
She said: "I was having symptoms for well over a year before I was diagnosed. I kept going back and forth to the doctors and A&E with chest pains and they thought I had a chest infection or a kidney infection.
"They also diagnosed me with anaemia as I was tired and weak, so they gave me iron tablets. My mum kept saying it wasn’t like me to have no energy."
The young woman then lost "a lot of weight", dropping dress sizes within four weeks.
"I went from a size 12 to a 10-8 within a month," she added.
"Even people who didn’t normally comment on my weight, like my grandparents, mentioned I had lost weight. Shortly afterwards in October (2020), a girl at work spotted the lump in my neck.
"Now, hopefully, fingers crossed, I am at the end of it. The nurses and everything, you just can't thank them enough because they were like family when I was in hospital because they were the only people I was able to see.
If you have any doubts or are experiencing symptoms, trust your instinct and don’t be afraid to voice your concerns, even if it means getting a second opinion."
Research has found that awareness of the five main warning signs of cancer in young people is ‘concerningly low’ amongst those aged 18-24, with seven in ten not being able to identify correctly all five warning signs.
The research, released on World Cancer Day, revealed that from a list of the five most common warning signs of cancer in young people, only one – lumps bumps and swellings - could be identified correctly by the majority of respondents aged 18-24.
And the other four warning signs of cancer in young people were notably less recognised by not only this age group, but by the general UK adult population as well.
A spokesperson for the charity added: "Encouragingly, seven in ten 18-24-year-olds surveyed were able to correctly identify lumps, bumps and swellings as one of the 5 common warning signs, with six in ten stating that if they found a lump in their neck that hadn’t gone away after a few weeks they would book an appointment with their GP. This is slightly lower than for the general British public – seven in ten British adults would book an appointment with their GP to get it checked out in such a situation."
Louise Soanes, Chief Nurse, Teenage Cancer Trust said: "Cancer is far less likely to affect young people than older adults - but when it does it can have a devastating impact - so being able to spot potential warning signs that could lead to an earlier diagnosis really can make a difference.
"Unfortunately, our research suggests that there is concerningly low awareness of the most common warning signs of cancer in the 18-24 age range, and this could be one of the reasons it takes longer for young people to be diagnosed with cancer than older adults.
"But because cancer in younger age groups is considered rare, it could also be that GPs and other healthcare professionals are less likely to suspect cancer and refer young people with symptoms on for further investigation.
"Listen to your body and if you feel that something isn’t right seek medical help. It probably isn’t cancer, but it’s always best to check, so book an appointment with your GP to discuss your concerns. If you don’t feel like you’re getting the answers you need keep going back, because if a patient consistently presents with concerns, healthcare professionals should listen and take these seriously."
