Student, 21, left with ‘melon-sized’ tumour that grew hair and teeth after doctors told her it was a UTI
A STUDENT claims she was left with a melon-sized cancerous tumour that grew hair and teeth after doctors misdiagnosed her with a UTI.
Mia Robins was finishing her first year of university when she began experiencing a painful pressure in her stomach.
The 21-year-old then began noticing other concerning symptoms, including fatigue, weight loss and hair loss.
However, the biomedical science student said doctors dismissed these ailments with a number of diagnoses – from alopecia to anaemia to a urinary tract infection (UTI).
But Mia’s health continued to decline and an ultrasound in June 2022 confirmed she had ovarian cancer.
Mia, who was 19 at the time, underwent emergency surgery to remove the growing tumour, which doctors said was the size of a honeydew melon and filled with hair and teeth.
And, despite her cancer returning six months later, following successful chemotherapy treatment, Mia was given the all-clear in August 2023.
Now, the campaigner is urging others to always challenge medical professionals if they have concerns about their health.
Mia, from Liverpool, said: “I had my appendix removed in December 2021 and began experiencing pain the next month.
“I would wake up in pain like I needed the toilet straight away.
“I felt a lot of pressure and was dying to go to the bathroom but it would go away as soon as I went to the toilet.
“I was also sleeping for like 12 or 13 hours a day and kept sleeping in for work.
“I wasn’t really eating either. I lost about half a stone and dropped a dress size.
“Then my hair started falling out. I noticed there was a bald spot at the back of my head the size of my palm.”
But the most concerning sign of all was the “massive bulge” in her stomach.
“I looked about four or five months pregnant,” Mia added.
“I went to A&E twice in three weeks and had about five GP appointments across six months about my symptoms.
“I was told lots of things like I might have coeliac disease, anaemia, alopecia and a UTI.
“I told them in A&E that I was crawling to the bathroom in pain and they gave me antibiotics for a UTI but I knew it wasn’t that.
“I took the antibiotics and they didn’t help at all.
“I remember thinking I might have cancer and my friend said, ‘Don’t be silly’.”
I was in such pain because it was directly above my bladder
Mia Robins
Mia went to A&E once again in June 2022, where further tests revealed that the student had stage one ovarian cancer.
Medical staff told Mia that her tumour was the size of a melon and she’d need to undergo emergency surgery.
“They’d caught it early but it was absolutely massive and growing,” she said.
“I was in such pain because it was directly above my bladder.
“The fact they told me it was the earliest stage and hadn’t affected any other organ was a relief, but of course I was upset. It all felt very overwhelming.
“I was a bit angry that my symptoms had been dismissed. I feel like if there’d be an ultrasound earlier, it would’ve been caught.
“It took six months to get diagnosed. I was reassured that I would be fine.
“The surgery was successful but they had to remove my right ovary, my Fallopian tube, part of my abdomen and some lymph nodes.
“They told me the tumour itself had teeth and hair in it, which is apparently normal with quite a big tumour.
“It had such a good blood supply, it was able to grow teeth and hair.”
What are the signs of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancers affects the ovaries – the organs that store the eggs needed to make babies.
It mostly affects women over the age of 50 and can sometimes run in families, according to the NHS.
Symptoms of the cancer can be vague, particularly in its early stages, Cancer Research UK SAYS.
The charity advises you speak to a GP if you have the following symptoms:
- Feeling full quickly
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in your abdomen or lower part of your abdomen that doesn’t go away
- Bloating or an increase in the size of your abdomen
- Needing to wee more often
- Tiredness that is unexplained
- Weight loss that is unexplained
- Changes in your bowel habit or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, especially if this starts after the age of 50
The NHS added that bleeding from the vagina after the menopause could be another possible symptom of ovarian cancer.
Despite removing the tumour, Mia’s cancer returned in February 2023 and she underwent a three-month course of chemotherapy.
In August, she was given the all-clear and has to undergo regular scans to ensure the cancer doesn’t return.
“It was nice to know I was done with it and could get back to my normal life,” she said.
“This is the first summer that I haven’t had to be in hospital for two years, but I know I’ll be on edge with it for the rest of my life.
“I felt a bit ignored that my symptoms were dismissed.
“I was experiencing a lot of pain and knew it wasn’t a UTI, but I didn’t feel believed. I felt ignored for six months.
“I say to other people – always challenge medical staff if you feel something is wrong.
“I could’ve died if I hadn’t kept going to A&E. My tumour would’ve kept growing and I could’ve died.”
What is a UTI?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are usually caused by E.coli bacteria – found in poo – entering the urinary tract.
The bacteria enter through the tube that carries pee out of the body (urethra).
Women are more likely than men to pick up UTIs as they have a shorter urethra than men.
This means bacteria are more likely to reach the bladder or kidneys and cause an infection.
According to the NHS, things that increase the risk of bacteria getting into the bladder include:
- Having sex
- Pregnancy
- Conditions that block the urinary tract – such as kidney stones
- conditions that make it difficult to fully empty the bladder – such as an enlarged prostate in men and constipation in children
- Urinary catheters (a tube in your bladder used to drain urine)
- Having a weakened immune system – for example, people with diabetes or people having chemotherapy
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not keeping the genital area clean and dry
Check if it’s a UTI
Symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) may include:
- Pain or a burning sensation when peeing (dysuria)
- Needing to pee more often than usual
- Needing to pee more often than usual during the night (nocturia)
- Needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- Pee that looks cloudy
- Blood in your pee
- Lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- A very low temperature below 36C
Your pee may also be dark or smell. If this is your only symptom, it might be because you’ve not been drinking enough water.
What to do if you think you have a UTI
If you think you have UTI symptoms, you should speak to your GP to discuss treatment options.
Most people will need antibiotics.
Some people may be prescribed a ‘delayed antibiotic’, meaning they’ll be asked only to use it if their symptoms don’t go away after a certain amount of time.
If you keep getting UTIs, your GP might recommend you have a low dose of antibiotics over a long period of time or refer you to a specialist for more tests and treatments.
For women who have gone through menopause, there is evidence that vaginal oestrogen creams can reduce UTI symptoms.
Source: NHS