Doctor diagnosed her own stage 4 cancer after spotting two 'mild' symptoms

Doctor Lauren Juyia discovered her own stage 4 colon cancer despite suffering just two mild symptoms (Image: abcnews.go.com)

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 was amiss. When this "heaviness" evolved 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 colon cancer diagnosis. 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."

During chemotherapy she chose to continue working, finding solace in caring for her patients (Image: Getty Images)

The Florida-based doctor consulted with other medical professionals and sought multiple opinions, reports Surrey Live. 

She admitted that she knew the prognosis wasn't "going to be good" when the mass increased in size from 8cm to 24cm within just two weeks. Dr Juyia admitted she had "never seen anything benign" grow so rapidly, fuelling her suspicion that the masses could be cancerous. Initially, she perceived it as ovarian cancer due to the location of the growths.

By September 2022, an extensive surgery was required to remove the masses, which by then had spread to several organs including her ovaries, uterus, omentum, appendix, and even the abdominal region. Despite the aggressive nature of these growths, Dr Juyia wasn't plagued by severe symptoms—her main complaints were a sensation of "pelvic heaviness" and persistent fatigue.

"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," she recalled.

The NHS highlights other potential signs of colon or bowel cancer to include stool alterations such as persistent diarrhoea or constipation, rectal bleeding or blood in stools, abdominal discomfort, and inexplicable weight loss.

Upon being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, Dr Juyia embarked on a gruelling six-month chemotherapy regimen but chose to continue working throughout, finding solace in caring for her patients—a pursuit she found "therapeutic".

In March last year, Dr Juyia underwent yet another operation to excise 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 warning signs of the condition, which can include fatigue and a sensation of "pelvic heaviness", urging particularly younger individuals to be vigilant.

In the UK, bowel cancer screening programmes vary by location; in England, screenings are offered biennially to those aged 54-74, with plans underway to extend this to include people from the age of 50. Meanwhile, in Wales and Scotland, the eligible age bracket for screening already spans from 50 to 74 years old.