Doctor who diagnosed own stage 4 cancer shares key early warning signs

A doctor who diagnosed herself with stage 4 colon cancer has revealed the two key warning signs that led her to make the discovery. Dr Lauren Juyia, a gynaecologist, was diagnosed with the disease in 2022 at the age of 37 after she noticed the symptoms herself.

Despite only experiencing two "mild" symptoms at the time, she is now raising awareness about these early warning signs, as she believes many people may dismiss them as something else - which is exactly what she did initially. She explained that she began feeling fatigued in August 2022 but initially attributed it to ageing and leading a busy life.

However, when this tiredness was accompanied by a "sense of pelvic heaviness", she had a gut feeling that something wasn't quite right. When this "heaviness" progressed into what Dr Juyia described as a "pelvic mass", she knew she needed to schedule an ultrasound.

It was during this scan that larger-than-normal masses near her ovary were discovered, leading to her diagnosis of colon cancer. Speaking to Good Morning America, she said: "Having a background in obstetrics, we describe size by weeks of pregnancy, and so I was like, 'Oh my God, I have a 16-week-size mass'. From experience, I could tell that this was my ovary."

The Florida-based doctor consulted with other doctors and sought multiple opinions, reports Surrey Live. She admitted she knew it wasn't "going to be good" when the mass grew from 8cm to 24cm within just two weeks.

Dr Juyia revealed she had "never seen anything benign" grow so rapidly, which led her to suspect the masses might be cancerous. Initially, she thought it was ovarian cancer due to where the masses were located.

By September 2022, Dr Juyia found herself in surgery to remove the growths that had spread to her ovaries, uterus, omentum, appendix, and even her abdominal area. Despite the swift expansion of the masses, she experienced no severe symptoms apart from a sensation of "pelvic heaviness" and fatigue, which she attributed to her busy life as a mother of two young children who also worked full-time.

She remarked: "I was a little tired in the afternoon for about two months previous to this and as a mum with two little kids - I had been recently nursing them, they were still waking up in the night, I work full time - I didn't think anything of saying, 'Oh, I think I need a tea in the afternoon'. Whereas maybe someone in their 50s or 60s would be much more tired from stage 4 tumours taking up their energy."

The NHS lists other potential signs of colon or bowel cancer as changes in bowel habits, such as unusual diarrhoea or constipation, blood in the stool, stomach pains, and unexplained weight loss. After being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, Dr Juyia embarked on six months of chemotherapy.

Throughout her treatment, she continued working, finding solace in assisting her patients, which she described as "therapeutic".

In March last year, Dr Juyia had yet another operation to remove an inactive tumour, and by April, she was given the all-clear with tests indicating she had "no evidence of disease". Following her ordeal, the mother of two is keen to raise awareness about the early signs of the illness, which can include tiredness and a feeling of "pelvic heaviness", urging younger people in particular to be vigilant.

In the UK, bowel cancer screening programmes are generally available to those over 50, although this can vary depending on where you live. In England, screenings are offered every two years to individuals between 54-74, with plans underway to extend this to those aged 50 plus. Meanwhile, in Wales and Scotland, the eligible age bracket for screening is already set at 50-74.