‘I come from an era where, when someone was told they have lung cancer, that was it’

Susan Leatham hadn’t had a cigarette in 20 years when she went to the GP with symptoms which did not appear to be anything very serious.

“In around 2019 or 2020, I had developed Raynaud’s Phenomenon, which is where the blood stops flowing to your fingers,” she says. “It is quite common, but had affected me quite severely, so I was constantly cold and had a lot of bone pain which I put down to being ‘cold to the bone’. I was not coping very well with it and went to see my GP who referred me to a rheumatologist in July, 2021.

“At this appointment, they sent me for a CT scan where it was found that there was something irregular in the right lung – but as I had absolutely no respiratory symptoms, I was not unduly worried.

“Then I got a call to attend the rapid access lung clinic in St Vincent’s Hospital where the consultant confirmed that there was something which appeared small in the lung and needed to be investigated. For the following eight weeks I went through numerous tests – including a biopsy of the lump, a test for lung function, blood tests and a PT scan. Although they told me at the hospital not to worry, at this point, I couldn’t help but think the worst – and those weeks seemed like an eternity to me.”

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At the end of the two months, the Dublin woman returned to the hospital to receive the results of her tests and much to her horror, her worst fears were confirmed when she was informed that she had lung cancer. “On September 23rd, 2021, I was called back to the Lung Clinic where non-small cell lung cancer was diagnosed. I will never forget that moment of being told that I had lung cancer. Both myself and my husband were in shock. I come from an era where, when someone was told they have lung cancer, that was it and there was nothing much which could be done.

“However, the consultant tried to reassure me that it (the tumour) looked small and to wait until I saw the surgeon – but even so, telling my daughters was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life, even though one of them works in the medical field and was trying to reassure us all by saying that the most important thing was that it was small, so it may have been caught it in time.”

Following the shock diagnosis, the mother of three adult daughters, who is married to Martyn, was advised that she would need surgery and chemotherapy, but because it had been detected early, the prognosis was good. “I didn’t have to wait long to get started on treatment and on September 28th, 2021, I met a cardiothoracic surgeon who explained that the tumour was on the outer right lower lung and that the best course of action was surgery, where they had planned to remove the right lower lobe.

“He said that he could do it the following day and I was glad that I did not have much time to think about it, because I just wanted it out. After the operation, I was told that the tumour was 2.2cm and it had been sent for testing to the lab where it was identified as ‘RET fusion’ which affects 1-2 percent of lung cancer patients, usually younger than the average lung cancer patient and will have barely or never smoked.

“I was told it was Stage 1b and had been caught in the early stages so it had not progressed to the Lymph nodes. It was a huge relief to be told that they caught it early and six weeks after the surgery I had an appointment to see the oncologist who recommended four rounds of chemotherapy which she said would ‘clean up any remaining cancer cells’. Following this, I was also told that should my cancer return there is Targeted Therapy treatment which specifically targets the particular ‘RET’ mutation.”

Thankfully, the 66-year-old, who works in administration in the public service, survived her ordeal and today is doing well with regular check-ups and plenty of support. “The whole experience seems like a lifetime ago, but, since then, I have been monitored with a CT scan every six months for the first two years after treatment and, thankfully, I just got the all clear from my last scan.

“Since my cancer diagnosis, I got involved in the Irish Lung Cancer Community and I found it a great support to be able to speak to someone who is going through the same thing as me – a lung cancer diagnosis. I have become an advocate for raising awareness for Lung cancer and I also attended a free six-week HSE NCCP-funded programme called, Cancer, Thrive and Survive, which was delivered [through] Zoom by the cancer support agency Purple House. This really helped me to put my experience in perspective and has allowed me to move on with my life after my diagnosis.

“I now realise how lucky I am. On more than one occasion, before I was diagnosed, I remember telling my husband that something was not normal and I felt something was wrong. At the time, I thought that I was experiencing the Raynaud’s so much more severely than others who had it or from what I had read about, so I am really thankful that I went back to the GP and didn’t just carry on suffering.”

With her positive outlook on life, the cancer survivor would advise anyone else who is experiencing unusual symptoms or feels there is something not right, to seek medical advice urgently as the sooner cancer is detected, the more chance there is of a positive outcome.

“Lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate and colon combined, but there have been amazing advances in lung cancer treatments and it is improving rapidly, so I would urge anyone who notices any changes to their health, any persistent cough that won’t go away, unexplained weight loss, if they feel tired all the time, suffer shortness of breath, are coughing up blood, have persistent unexplained shoulder pain or any change that persists and is not getting any better, to please get it checked with their GP. Don’t be putting your symptoms down to this or that.

“It really is so important not to ignore it, as lung cancer caught in the early stages has a higher percentage of progression-free survival. I support the Marie Keating Foundation, Change how we see Lung Cancer and I really consider myself one of the lucky ones. Since my diagnosis, I have learned that life is precious and we need to enjoy every day because none of us know what is around the corner.”

Lung Cancer

• 2,690 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in Ireland in 2021.
• Lung cancer has one of the lowest cancer survival rates.
• Lung cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Ireland after prostate, breast and colorectal.
• The majority of people who get lung cancer are over the age of 50.
• More than 90 per cent of lung cancer can be attributed to cigarette smoking. However, lung cancer can occur in patients who do not, or never have, smoked.
• Smoking is also linked to mouth, head and neck cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer and kidney cancer

Symptoms

• A cough that doesn’t go away, or a change in a long-term cough
• Repeated chest infections that won’t go away, even after antibiotics
• Coughing up blood-stained phlegm
• Pain in your chest, especially when you cough or breathe in
• Swelling around your face and neck
• Wheezing or difficulty breathing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Loss of appetite/weight loss