Young woman misdiagnosed with sciatica found to have grapefruit-sized spinal tumor

A 23-year-old student from West Yorkshire endured years of crippling lower-back pain before private scans in Greece in 2023 revealed a grapefruit-sized tumor on her spine, later diagnosed as Ewing sarcoma. Leah Kalkan underwent 14 cycles of chemotherapy and 33 proton-beam therapy sessions, and finished treatment in July 2024. She has since returned to her studies and is speaking out to raise awareness and funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, which supports thousands of young people with cancer each year.

Kalkan first experienced pain toward the end of 2021 and tried to manage it with painkillers. By the summer of 2022, while on a trip to Turkey with her father, the pain became debilitating. “I couldn’t sit down, lie down, or walk, and paracetamol and heat patches weren’t touching the pain,” she said. Her father paid for an MRI that suggested a possible herniated disk and provided only temporary relief. When she returned to the United Kingdom, the pain worsened and she sought help multiple times a week, but doctors were unable to identify anything seriously wrong. A private osteopath told her the issue might be a damaged tailbone, and she was advised to use Ibuleve gel, which failed to ease her symptoms. In 2023 she even called an ambulance twice due to the intensity of the pain, but she was sent home with standard painkillers.

The lump appeared in October 2023; described as tender and hard and sometimes reddening, it was about the size of a grapefruit. She also lost a noticeable amount of weight during this period, reporting fatigue and a decline in her ability to function normally. “The pain left me screaming in agony and unable to walk or sit upright most times,” she recalled. Despite the persistent symptoms, medical investigations in the UK did not reveal a serious condition, and ultrasound failed to locate a clear source of the pain. At one point, her boyfriend, who grew up in Greece, arranged a private round of scans in Greece because she could not obtain timely imaging at home. The results showed abnormalities that alarmed specialists, but because the scans were performed abroad, her GP would not review them.

After pursuing a private neurosurgical consultation in Greece, clinicians immediately raised concerns that the lump could be a tumor. She was referred for an NHS biopsy, and in December 2023 she received a cancer diagnosis. Medical teams placed her on a demanding treatment plan, including 14 cycles of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of proton-beam therapy. She completed the regimen in July 2024 and has since resumed her studies in modern languages and English with French.

Kalkan credits the Teenage Cancer Trust for providing essential support during her treatment, including nurses who offered both medical and emotional care. “All of the Teenage Cancer Trust nurses were so sweet and kind. They put on events, and I started to get involved with people on the unit who are around the same age as me,” she said. “Being treated around other young people gave me the opportunity to meet some of the strongest, kindest and most understanding people in my life.” She added that the nurses helped her stay hopeful and engaged during an otherwise frightening time.

Her experience has sharpened her awareness of the potential for cancer to be missed in young adults with nonspecific symptoms. “If I could take myself back in time, I would have kept pushing for a diagnosis. My symptoms were quite obvious, and any lump should be alarming,” she said. “I would encourage people to trust their own bodies and keep going back to the doctors to push for an answer.” She also urged GPs to be educated about cancer signs in younger patients, noting that delays can have serious consequences.

In a broader policy development this week, England launched the Jessica Brady Rule, named in memory of a young woman who died of cancer after more than 20 dismissals of her concerns. The rule directs GPs to rethink a diagnosis when a patient presents with the same symptoms or concerns three times. Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized that the rule aims to reduce diagnostic delays and protect patients, saying that every effort should be made to identify serious conditions earlier. The policy shift comes amid ongoing concerns about how cancer in younger people is recognized and acted upon in the primary-care setting.

Kalkan’s story has been shared to encourage early action and to highlight the value of dedicated cancer care programs for young people. The partnership between Teenage Cancer Trust and the Omaze Million Pound House Draw is supporting the charity’s work this week, with proceeds helping fund Teenage Cancer Trust nurses who support thousands of young people with cancer each year. As she looks to the future, Kalkan hopes her experience will prompt others to seek timely evaluations and remind healthcare providers of the human impact behind every diagnosis.