A breast cancer surgeon who diagnosed herself with the disease has shared what she wished she’d known earlier and how her own experience as a patient completely altered her perspective on what women need to know. Dr Liz O’Riorden, who appeared on the Naga Munchetty show on Radio 5 Live this week, admitted that one of her mistakes was not checking herself regularly.
At the age of 40, having never checked before, she discovered a lump. Dr Liz now aims to raise awareness through her new book ‘The Cancer Roadmap’.
Naga Munchetty, the host, stated that someone is diagnosed with cancer ‘every two minutes’ and added that it’s estimated that 50 per cent of people will eventually receive a cancer diagnosis. Naga asked: “When you were a surgeon did you have an understanding of how cancer effects people?”
Dr Liz responded: “No. I saw how it affected them when they came to see me in my clinic and I made them cry – I told them they had cancer. I operated to remove it and I didn’t really see them again. I only saw the people in the very beginning of their diagnosis and a week later. And I was 40 I never checked my breasts. I found a lump.
“It turned out to be a big cancer. That was almost 10 years ago now and I suddenly realised how little I knew about how much cancer effects you physically and mentally, how much misinformation is out there.”
The doctor has shed light on important aspects of care that the NHS struggles to provide, stressing the need people have for control and hope. She said: “We’re desperate for control and hope and it was just a world away from what I’d learned in medical school.”
Describing how patients often feel after treatment, she said: “When you become a patient and the doctor says ‘goodbye see you in five years’ you’re suddenly left thinking ‘well what do I eat, what do I need to do, and is there a magic bullet that can stop if coming back, and it’s very easy to get lost down rabbit holes on the internet wondering ‘what am I not being told’?”
Dr Liz opened up about her ongoing battle with cancer, revealing that after initially tackling a large breast cancer in 2015 with various treatments, she then faced recurrences that have changed her life permanently. Detailing her experience, she said: “I had a large left breast cancer in 2015 and I had chemo first followed by a mastectomy, radio therapy and hormone blockers because my cancer was sensitive to oestrogen.
“I had a recurrence on my chest wall three years later which meant more surgery and radiotherapy and the side effects of that stopped me being able to operate.”
She spoke about how these challenges ended her ability to practice as a surgeon and led her to find new ways to communicate and offer support to others, adding: “So I couldn’t work as a surgeon and that’s when I started talking and doing videos and blogging and then last year I had another recurrence on my chest wall just a little spot above my mastectomy scar so I’m now on treatment for life to hopefully stop me getting incurable disease.”
Those interested can tune into the full interview via BBC Sounds (from about 1.08). The NHS provides guidance on identifying the main symptoms of breast cancer, urging individuals to consult with a GP if concerned.
The NHS says the main symptoms of breast cancer are:
- a lump, or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- a change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (may look like orange peel) or redness (may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
- a change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts
- nipple discharge (if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it
- a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema)
- pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away – breast pain that comes and goes is usually not a symptom of breast cancer
See a GP if:
- you have a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- you have any changes in your breasts or nipples that are not normal for you
- you have pain in your breast or armpit that does not go away
For more information check the NHS website.