When a vigilant radiologist spotted a tiny growth in the bottom of Mandee Lucas’s lung, no one except Mandee seemed all that concerned.
Placed on a wait and watch regime, Mandee underwent regular scans to keep an eye on this unknown entity. Even when the latest scans showed growth, Mandee’s doctors were still reluctant to remove it.
However, after much persistence, and fuelled by the recent passing of her mother to lung cancer, Mandee finally convinced her doctors to take it out.
“Even after the doctors removed the growth, they were adamant it was not cancer,” recalls Mandee. “I will never forget the look on that consultants face when the biopsy came back.”
Small but aggressive
The results revealed Mandee had stage 3b lung cancer – one stage away from an incurable diagnosis. She had to undergo a subsequent surgery and a gruelling chemotherapy regimen but thankfully, seven years on, Mandee remains lung cancer free.
But it could have been a very different outcome.
Now a trustee of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Mandee shares her experience as part of the charity’s Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness month.
“Looking back, I can’t believe I had to push so hard to get my cancer taken out, especially with my family history. My mother had just died of lung cancer, and my grandmother and great grandmother had also died of the same disease.
“The doctors were so confident that it wasn’t malignant that they would have continued to monitor it for who knows how long. By then, it would have been too late, and I don’t think I’d still be here.
“I can only assume that this inaction was because I had never smoked. Would I have had to advocate so strongly if I had a history of smoking? I don’t think so.
“But as we’re all so aware at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, it doesn’t matter whether you have smoked or not. If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer, and we need everyone to realise this.”
Let Go of the Labels
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation launched its Let Go of the Labels campaign after realising there were opportunities for many of the people they help to be diagnosed sooner had they not been labelled by their smoking history.
Mandee explains, “We started to see a pattern from the people we were talking to, and it was around smoking – or not smoking in many cases – and came to the conclusion that labels like smoker or never smoker are playing a part in stopping people getting diagnosed sooner.
“If someone smoked, they can be more reluctant to seek help because they felt guilty and ashamed. This was certainly the case for my mum. Whilst people who have never smoked aren’t sent for tests as quickly because they don’t fit the profile of who is expected to get lung cancer, like me.
“I was lucky. I was under investigation for something completely unrelated and that incredible radiologist caught it.
“However, the 18 months that followed were torture. Knowing something was there but nothing was being done was very traumatic. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that.
“We must let go of these archaic and dangerous labels so everyone can be diagnosed as soon as possible.”
Mandee shares her experience as part of our Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness month.