Staffordshire mum says more young people should get vital cancer checks
It's after she was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer aged just 34
Last updated 21st Jan 2025
A mum from Staffordshire with terminal cancer says more young people should be offered vital cancer checks and screenings if they feel something isn't right.
It comes as the number of people living with cancer in the UK will hit 3.4 million this year, the highest figure ever reported, figures suggest.
Data analysed by the cancer support charity Macmillan found that roughly half a million more people will be living with cancer in 2025 than five years ago.
The estimated 3.4 million people who will be living with cancer as of December 2025 includes around 890,000 women with breast cancer, 610,000 men with prostate cancer, 390,000 people with bowel cancer and 120,000 with lung cancer.
Lisa Coxon, from Tean in Staffordshire, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in August 2020. In April 2022, she experienced seizures at home and discovered that the cancer had spread to her brain.
"It really was a lot to deal with." said Lisa.
"One of the symptoms I had for about 4-6 months was tennis elbow in my right arm. It felt like I had a trapped nerve in my shoulder blade and I was convinced that was the reason for the tennis elbow. It was COVID and I couldn't get to see a physio to establish if it was the case, then I had a feel under my armpit and I felt a lump.
"Emotionally, I was devastated. I had to go through everything by myself. I had all my appointments and chemo alone every week, it was really difficult.
"I also found out that I had got the gene mutation which is commonly referred to as the Angelina Jolie gene, which meant that I'd always got an 80-85% chance of developing breast cancer, but I only found out when I was diagnosed."
Cases are being fuelled by a growing and ageing population, a gradual rise in survival rates for some types of the disease and a rise in people diagnosed with cancers such as thyroid, liver and melanoma.
"The reason they didn't pick it up is because I was 34." Lisa said.
"Under the age of 40 you have dense breasts so they say the mammograms don't always pick up the tumours or lesions. That's why everybody is advised they have a mammogram over 50 because the breasts are less dense.
Lisa added: "Because you are young does not mean it is not cancer. This narrative that it's only women over 50 is not the case."
Macmillan warned that the experience of having cancer is getting worse for many people, with delays to treatment and sometimes a postcode lottery of care.
Lisa added: "Over the past four years I have had people message me and say I've felt a lump, I've been to the doctors and they've told me it's nothing, and I went back and got referred to the breast cancer clinic. I'd hate for anyone to be fobbed off and told it's just hormonal changes."
A YouGov poll of more than 2,000 people last year found a third felt it was harder to be living with cancer now than at any other time they could remember, increasing to 48% of those who also had a serious disability.
Analysis of NHS data also suggests many people with cancer are reporting poorer experiences across several areas of care, including people from ethnic minority backgrounds and those from the LGBTQ+ community, Macmillan said.
Its chief executive, Gemma Peters, added: "The number of people living with cancer in the UK is rising, and for many, things are getting worse.
"There are unacceptable gaps between the best and worst experiences, and people are being left behind.
"Behind these figures are individuals with unique challenges and needs.
"At Macmillan, we support people living with cancer every day, helping them to manage the various ways in which cancer affects their lives.
"We see how cancer impacts peoples' relationships, jobs, finances and more, and how this can be even worse for some, simply because of who they are or where they live. This must change.
"Better is possible, but only if we approach cancer care differently.
"Governments across the UK have a unique opportunity to revolutionise cancer care for the future.
"By addressing the cancer care gap and ensuring every patient - no matter who they are or where they live - can access world-class care, we can set a new standard for the UK. This is the Governments' chance to shape its legacy for generations to come."
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.