College student says doctors dismissed swollen lymph node for months before stage four cancer diagnosis, leaving her with more than $71,000 in bills

A 21-year-old college student said she was dismissed by doctors for nearly a year before being diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2025, and that she accrued more than $71,000 in diagnostic bills before beginning treatment.

Skyla Cui, a California native who was studying computer science at Columbia University in New York, first noticed a swollen lymph node during the summer of 2024. She had an ultrasound in August 2024 that cost $1,642 before insurance and which she said showed no signs of cancer or disease. Because she had no other symptoms at the time, Cui said she did not immediately pursue further testing.

An MRI about nine months later, which cost $1,708 before insurance, was deemed more informative and, when results looked suspicious, physicians performed an initial biopsy attempt that she said missed the lymph node and produced inconclusive results. She was billed $7,259 for that procedure, some of which was covered by insurance. A CT scan that followed — billed at $3,700 — showed a mass in her lungs. Two days later, a robot-assisted lung biopsy costing $43,450 before insurance confirmed lymphoma.

Before chemotherapy could begin, clinicians ordered a PET scan to stage the disease. Cui said her insurer initially denied the claim and told her to wait 28 days to resubmit, a delay that she said nearly postponed the start of treatment. After multiple calls, she received a PET scan that cost $13,711 before insurance and an official diagnosis of stage four Hodgkin lymphoma. She said she was billed $71,470 for diagnostics before starting treatment; how much she will ultimately owe out of pocket is unclear.

Cui has documented her diagnosis and treatment on social media, including videos about the costs of care and the physical effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss. Since the June diagnosis she has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy and remains in active treatment. Her current plan consists of chemotherapy, and clinicians described a generally positive outlook for many patients with her type of cancer; public health data cited by her story show a five-year survival rate near 84 percent for stage four Hodgkin lymphoma.

Medical experts and public health sources note that lymphoma — which includes Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin subtypes — accounts for about 90,000 new cases a year in the United States, with Hodgkin lymphoma representing roughly 9 percent of those cases. The average age of diagnosis is reported to be about 39. The National Cancer Institute estimates the average cost of cancer care in the first year after diagnosis at about $109,727. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that an estimated 27 million Americans lack health insurance, a factor that can exacerbate the financial burden of diagnosis and treatment.

Cui said navigating the health system was stressful in part because she had to research specialists and consider whether recommended doctors were in her insurer’s network. She urged other young people facing medical uncertainty to take an active role in their care. "We have a lot of power," she said in an interview, adding that patients can make choices about how to approach treatment and what to pursue.

Her account underscores challenges some patients report when early symptoms are limited and when insurance denials or billing complexities can delay diagnosis and care. Health providers say diagnostic imaging and biopsies are often necessary to stage cancer and plan treatment, but cost and coverage can vary widely depending on the procedures and insurers involved.

Cui said she felt fortunate that she did not face the full billed amount, but she described watching bills accumulate as an additional hardship while preparing for chemotherapy. She continues treatment and has spoken publicly about the experience to raise awareness of both the medical and financial hurdles faced by young patients with cancer.