Bladder cancer: Mum-to-be's tumour spotted during first baby scan

Megan McQuade and her partner Michael Johnson were overjoyed when they discovered she was pregnant

A mum-to-be says her unborn baby "saved her life" when her first scan revealed she had early stage bladder cancer.

Megan McQuade, 29, from Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, had been trying for a baby with partner Michael Johnson for two years.

They got the devastating news just before Christmas and were warned they may have to make a choice about continuing with the pregnancy.

"It was the worst decision that anyone could ever have to face," she said.

About six weeks into the pregnancy, primary school teacher Ms McQuade went for a check up after noticing some light bleeding, known as spotting.

"As a first-time mum I panicked," she told BBC Radio Tees.

While at hospital the sonographer found what appeared to be a shadow on her bladder and urged her to get it checked.

Because the couple were "overjoyed" after seeing their baby for the first time, Ms McQuade said the warning completely slipped her mind.

A shadow was spotted on Megan McQuade while she had an emergency scan

But when she returned two weeks later, she knew something more serious was afoot.

"The lady's tone completely changed. She said 'I really think you need to get it looked into so please, make an appointment with your GP'.

"It suddenly hit me then - I felt a turn in my stomach almost that something wasn't right.'

In December the couple met with a consultant at North Tees University Hospital who warned that it could be cancer.

"We had this lovely plan for Christmas Day to finally tell our families. None of them knew because we wanted to let them know with this lovely video for everybody - and the consultant sat there telling me basically that I could have cancer.

"The second I walked out of the room my partner just put his arm around me and said, 'Are you alright? and I just broke down.

"All possibilities were flooding through my mind - am I going to survive it? What's going to happen with baby? It was awful."

'No symptoms'

In early January she was told she would undergo a procedure with a camera to have a closer look.

"The only good news I had at that moment was its size - it was so small they could remove it and do a biopsy in one," she added.

"After the surgery the consultant came to see me and explained that it had all gone really well, we were waiting on the results to decide what would happen with baby.

"The next steps were to determine whether I needed chemotherapy or not and if I did it was explained to me that we would have to basically choose between whether we would take it out, we treat it with chemo or keep baby."

Two weeks later, they received their results.

"We sat down, the consultant said, 'Everything has gone really well, we managed to get it all out, we took out some extra cells around it just to make sure there's no chance of it growing back. We believe at this point there's no further treatment needed'.

"I still get a bit tearful - it was the best possible news I could have had."

The couple's baby is due in July. Afterwards Ms McQuade will have two more procedures with a camera, and if both are clear she said she will be discharged.

"I believe that everything happens for a reason," she added.

"Michael and I have waited for two years for exactly that time to come around so that they could warn us that something wasn't right - it has all worked out."

She is now warning others about their bladder health.

"The scariest part was that I had no symptoms whatsoever," she said.

"I am doing fine now and baby is really well - we have a 20-week scan coming up in a couple of weeks so we are looking forward to getting to see baby again then."