A teenager who thought she was pregnant after her stomach unexpectedly became rounder, and who was told it was constipation by her GP, was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is now a student nurse after realising “life is too short”.
Summer Edwards, 22, a student nurse at the University of the West of England, from Bristol, went from a size six to size 10 “in a matter of weeks” and thought she was pregnant in 2020, but her GP reassured her that it was constipation.
After trying strong doses of laxatives and having two catheters fitted, nothing improved, and she was eventually diagnosed with an ovarian cyst which doctors were able to remove successfully.
However doctors then found an extremely rare 19cm by 17cm tumour and Summer was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer.
Summer had keyhole surgery to remove it, which was a success, but she also found out she had a rare gene, DICER1, which meant she was more susceptible to other types of cancer.
Six members of her family have since been diagnosed with the gene, including her 16-year-old cousin who now has lung cancer, but Summer says she is a “fighter”.
Since Summer was diagnosed with cancer she has been training as a student nurse, which is something she has “always” wanted to do.
In May 2020, at the age of 18, while working in a hospital as a healthcare assistant, Summer began to notice her stomach was getting rounder, but put it down to eating a few extra treats at work.
She said: “My mum was convinced I was pregnant, and I began to believe it, but I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative.
“I went from a size six to size 10 in a matter of weeks, and one day I was in the garden in a bikini and my mum said that she thought something was really wrong because my stomach was really round.”
To reassure her mum, Summer went to her GP and was prescribed a strong dose of laxatives, as they thought she was constipated.
But after two weeks of taking the medication nothing changed, so Summer was called in to her GP surgery.
Summer said: “The doctor felt my stomach and they said something was not right, but I didn’t think much of it.”
Summer also had blood tests, and spotted that her blood was being run for a CA-125 test, a tumour marker for ovarian cancer, and a few days later was asked to have an internal ultrasound, where she was told her bladder was “completely full” with more than a litre of urine.
Doctors told Summer there was “nothing they could do at that point” so, after asking her doctor friend for advice, she went straight to A&E and had a catheter fitted.
She said: “I was devastated, I was only 18 and I really didn’t want to be walking around with a catheter strapped to my leg or be signed off work for 12 weeks.”
After a few days of being catheterised, Summer continued urinating as usual, so she returned to the hospital and had another fitted.
But the following day she began experiencing a great deal of pain.
She said: “It was weird, I went to the toilet and I noticed a lot of blood in the bag, and I was still weeing.
“I was taken into hospital – at this point, I was screaming in pain.”
Summer then had a CT scan, and it was found that her bladder was never full – instead, she had a large ovarian cyst which was successfully removed with surgery.
But two weeks later Summer went for her post-operation check-up and was told she had a 19cm by 17cm tumour.
She said: “They told me I had a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour, which was really rare.
“They told me there was only one other person in the UK that had it at that point and my blood tests came back fine on the CA-125 marker because it causes a boost in testosterone so didn’t show as a marker.
“It didn’t sink in at all, and the first thing I did was take my sick note to work – I was gutted I couldn’t work.
“When I told people there, they cried, so I did too, but it didn’t hit me for a while.”
On July 1 2020 Summer had a hospital appointment to find out more about her tumour, and to her devastation she found out she had ovarian cancer.
She said: “They explained more about my tumour, and that there have not been any clinical trials for it because it’s so rare.
“I put it bluntly and asked them if I had cancer and they said yes.
“My mum was upset about it more than me – I think it’s more scary for those around you.”
About two weeks later Summer had keyhole surgery to remove the tumour, which was a success.
She said: “I was so relieved, and in my post-op review they asked me if I wanted preventive chemotherapy and I said no, as the pros outweigh the cons for me.
“I’d rather live my life now and deal with chemotherapy in the future if it ever comes back.”
Since then Summer has had internal ultrasounds every three months, which will continue for the next ten years.
She has also been genetically tested, and she was diagnosed with DICER1 syndrome – an inherited disorder that increases the risk of cancerous tumours, most commonly in the lungs, kidneys, ovaries and thyroid.
Summer said: “I now know that if I have kids, they will probably have the gene, and I’ve looked into IVF and PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) but there is no licence to test for DICER1, I’d have to go and ask for one to be made.
“I know that I’m probably more likely to get another type of cancer in the future too.”
Summer’s immediate family tested negative for the gene, but when Summer’s aunt came to one of her appointments with her, she believed her daughter, Summer’s 16-year-old cousin, had the gene.
Summer said: “After tests, my aunt and five of her children have the gene, and one of them has lung cancer but she’s a fighter.”
Now Summer is a student nurse – she has “always wanted” to work in healthcare, and has been doing so since she was 17, but when she received her cancer diagnosis it pushed her to apply for university.
She said: “My tutors are amazing and I have had time off for scans and things, but I absolutely love it.
“Having the diagnosis made me realise there’s no time to wait and life is too short.”
For more information, visit: targetovariancancer.org.uk/ or www.nhs.uk/conditions/ovarian-cancer/.
