Don’t put off going to your doctor

When Louise Wilkinson discovered a lump in her breast she ignored it for two years, thinking it was one of many benign cysts she had suffered over the years.

But this time the lump was more sinister and Louise is now urging women to perform regular breast checks and to take immediate action if they find a lump.

“Don’t do what I did and put off going to your doctor. If you find a lump or any abnormality in your breast don’t be afraid, get it checked immediately. If you catch it early it could save your life,” said Louise. “The frightening thing about my experience is that the lump did not hurt and I felt perfectly well. I originally noticed a lump in my right breast back in 2009 but as I had a history of benign cysts I was not panicking about it. I did not realise I had cancer and it was growing.”

Louise, who is in her 50s, was trying on new swimwear for an upcoming holiday in the summer of 2011, when her husband Gary, noticed her breast had an irregular shape and looked dimpled.

“We were about to go away, and consequently I did not visit my GP until October,” said Louise. After referral for a mammogram and ultrasound scan in Harrogate, Louise was confirmed to have breast cancer. One of her friends recommended consultant medical oncologist Dr Tim Perren at the Spire Leeds Hospital. He looked at all of the results and confirmed it was a tumour, measuring about 5cm. Louise elected to have a course of chemotherapy from November 2011 to April 2012, to reduce the size of the tumour before surgery so that she would only need a lumpectomy, not a mastectomy.

In May 2012, following chemotherapy, Louise had the lump removed and her breast constructed using tissue, fat and muscle from her back, under the care of Mr Philip Turton, consultant breast oncoplastic and aesthetic breast surgeon, at Spire Leeds Hospital.

“Louise’s condition was very serious at the time she presented. It was advanced which is an indication that the lump had been there some time and presents a greater difficulty in removing the cancer,” said Mr Turton.

He describes the procedure he performed, called an extended autologous pedicled latissimuss dorsi flap. “I removed an entire quarter of Louise’s breast where the disease had been, then reconstructed the huge defect this left by taking a flap of skin, muscle and fat from Louise’s back. This flap had its own blood supply from blood vessels under the armpit so that it could be rotated from her back to the front of her body still attached to its vessels, keeping the tissue alive.”

Seven days later tests showed the cancer was still present and that the chemotherapy had not killed it completely. Mr Turton agreed with Louise that he would perform a mastectomy to remove the remaining cancerous tissue. She then underwent 15 sessions of radiotherapy.

Leeds Spire physio Sharon Kleiman introduced Louise to The Haven, the charity that offers breast cancer support and therapies, free of charge. Sharon is taking part in a Dancing Strictly show with part of the proceeds being donated to The Haven.

Today, Louise is on the road to recovery and back at work for National Grid in Leeds, where she is a project assurance support officer.

“It’s been a rocky ride and it wore me down at times. Now I’m back at work full-time, my hair has grown back and I feel great and very lucky to be alive.”

Early diagnosis aids survival

About 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year and more than 90 per cent of all women diagnosed with it at the earliest stage survive their disease.

For more information on breast cancer visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk

The Leed Spire Hospital physiotherapist Sharon Kleeiman is taking part in a Dancing Strictly event for The Leeds Haven. For more details visit justgiving.com/sharonkleiman

For more information about The Haven breast cancer charity visit www.thehaven.org.uk