Young mum-of-two talks ‘terrifying’ cancer journey after being misdiagnosed

A young mum-of-two from Leicester has described her ‘terrifying’ ordeal with cancer after being misdiagnosed for nine months. Radhika Thakrar noticed an alarming lump on her neck that turned out to be a rare sarcoma cancer after it was initially diagnosed as a thyroid problem.

The HSBC project manager said she endured “a nightmare ordeal of multiple scans and treatments” for a suspected thyroid condition, all while the nodule continued to grow “alarmingly”. Radhika first noticed her lump just weeks after giving birth to her second child.

It eventually grew to 12.5 cm before it was removed. Now, Radhika has called for more awareness about the symptoms of rare and aggressive sarcoma cancers.

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The 35-year-old’s ‘terrifying’ nine-month ordeal began in February 2022 when he noticed the lump in his neck. In March that year, Radhika went to the doctor and got an appointment the same day.

Despite being referred by his GP for an urgent ENT (ears, nose and throat) assessment, he was told that due to the Covid backlog, there would be a wait of around five months for an appointment. However, Radhika’s private health insurance allowed her to be evaluated the same day by a doctor, who diagnosed a thyroid problem and prescribed continued appointments and fine needle aspiration, a biopsy to collect cells for sampling , to make a diagnosis.

Thinking something was wrong with the lump, Radhika sought a second opinion from another consultant, who ordered an MRI and a CT scan. This time the NHS raised the possibility of cancer but ruled out sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of the disease.

The surgery was scheduled for December 12, 2022, to address the suspected thyroid problem. However, just days before the operation, Nottingham’s specialist sarcoma team stepped in, confirming Radhika’s diagnosis of liposarcoma, a cancer that starts in fat cells.

They referred her for surgery with the team of specialists and on December 28, nine months after her initial symptoms, Radhika underwent surgery to remove the 12.5 cm tumor from her neck.

Reflecting on her journey, Radhika said, “Those nine months were absolutely terrifying. I knew something was wrong, but I felt like I was constantly being dismissed or misdiagnosed. The uncertainty and fear was overwhelming, especially with two small children depending on me. .

“I’m incredibly grateful to the sarcoma team, who really supported me and looked after me. We need more awareness of sarcoma, both among the public and among medical professionals, so that others don’t have to go through the hell that I went through.”

July is Sarcoma Awareness Month and Sarcoma UK is highlighting ‘Days to Diagnosis’. For this, Radhika appears on billboards across the country.

According to Sarcoma UK, one in three people wait more than six months for an accurate diagnosis of sarcoma. Although it is an uncommon cancer, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses, 15 people are diagnosed with sarcoma cancer every day in the UK.

Sarcoma UK chief executive Richard Davidson said: “Radhika’s harrowing nine-month journey to diagnosis underlines the critical need for faster and more accurate detection of sarcoma. These rare cancers, often mistaken for benign conditions, can grow to life-threatening sizes when left undiagnosed.

“At Sarcoma UK, we are stepping up our efforts to educate healthcare professionals and fund innovative diagnostic research. Our aim is clear: to ensure that no one faces the prolonged uncertainty and fear that Radhika endured and to significantly improve outcomes for sarcoma patients in the UK.”

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