'My cancer diagnosis turned my world upside down'

Mavis Bennett is urging people not to ignore potential symptoms of cancer

A survivor of vulval cancer is urging other women to check themselves for potential symptoms and to not feel embarrassed to seek medical help.

Mavis Bennett, from Somerset, decided to see her GP after experiencing vaginal irritation for "weeks". During her appointment, a seemingly small boil or abscess was found and she was referred to a specialist.

A gynaecology team at Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) diagnosed her with vulval cancer and she had two surgeries to remove it.

Now cancer free, Ms Bennett said she was "devastated" when she was initially told about her diagnosis. "When you are told something like that it just turns your world upside down," she said.

The 85-year-old, who lives in Hinton Charterhouse, a village near Bath, had a successful operation when first diagnosed but continued to have regular biopsies and a year later the cancer returned.

"It was an incredibly stressful time, the worry and anxiety was terrible," she said.

Her second operation took place at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where she also had a skin graft.

'Don't be embarrassed'

Symptoms of vulval cancer can include a lump, a sore or growth and bleeding and itching that does not get better with over-the-counter treatments.

The NHS notes these symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions; having them does not definitely mean you have vulval cancer but anybody with them is advised to get checked by a GP.

Ms Bennett urged people to not feel embarrassed to see a doctor.

"My message to women who are having unusual symptoms is please don't be embarrassed.

"If anything just doesn't feel right get to your GP straight away.

"The earlier you can get diagnosed and treated, the better things will be for you," she said.