Doctors told woman cancerous cyst was pregnancy

Ms Colledge wants to let people know "it’s not just old people who get ovarian cancer"

A woman is encouraging others to be aware of ovarian cancer symptoms after thinking she was "too young" to get it.

Emma Colledge, 24, from Durham, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 23, after scans showed she had a 12in (30cm) cyst.

She said doctors told her she had a bloated stomach because she was pregnant, but her pregnancy tests came back negative.

Ms Colledge had her last chemotherapy treatment in April 2023 and scans showed that there was no evidence of cancer.

After experiencing bloating and going to the toilet more in February 2022, Ms Colledge thought she could have IBS or food allergies.

“I know people say 'don’t Google it', but when I Googled my symptoms it always said that ovarian cancer is found in people mostly aged 50 and over," she said.

Ms Colledge said she was struggling to eat because she felt so full

Before Ms Colledge was diagnosed, she said she looked so bloated that she looked pregnant. But when she did pregnancy tests, they came back negative.

Ms Colledge said: “I went to the doctors in the May and they told me I was pregnant. I knew I wasn’t and the test confirmed that."

Treatment

The pain continued, and while she was waiting for an appointment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, she went to A&E.

She had an ultrasound which showed she had a cyst in her stomach.

Ms Colledge said: “When I was first diagnosed, I was questioning whether I’d make it to my 24th birthday, or if I’d die tomorrow.

“But I am very strong-willed. I’m stubborn and I told myself that this isn’t my time to go, and I’m making sure of that.”

Ms Colledge was declared cancer free in April 2023

Ms Colledge had a five-and-a-half-hour operation to remove the cyst and the ovary that was attached to it.

She had a second operation which took nine-and-a-half hours.

During the surgery she had a full hysterectomy, her appendix and spleen removed, some of her bowel removed and laser treatment. Ms Colledge also had a temporary stoma.

She then had six rounds of chemotherapy at the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

“I’m quite a loud person so when I went to the Teenage Cancer Trust unit, I met loads of friends who are my age, who I still speak to now," Ms Colledge said.

The Teenage Cancer Trust said ovarian cancer was getting more common in young people and that symptoms included pain around the pelvis and tummy, bloating and struggling to eat because you feel full quickly.

Ms Colledge said she was now back at work and enjoying the things she loved, such as going for walks, riding her bike and spending time with her family and friends.