A DORSET man who was told there was just a one in 50,000 chance he had a rare cancer, only to have his finger amputated, is courageously raising awareness of the illness.
Steve Mayer had a difficult journey to his eventual diagnosis of sarcoma – cancer of the bone and soft tissue.
He was originally reassured by his GP that a worrying lump on his finger was a benign tumour, but was referred for tests in hospital. Once at hospital, Steve was told to come back in a few months’ time to see if anything changed.
Despite being told that there was a one in 50,000 chance of the tumour being malignant, when Steve returned to hospital early due to severe pain he was eventually diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a rare form of sarcoma.
“I had never heard of the word sarcoma before,” Steve recalled.
He was then referred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in north-west London, a centre of excellence for sarcoma treatment. This is where he underwent an operation to have his finger amputated.
Following his ordeal, Steve is now raising awareness of this rare cancer and the importance of early diagnosis with national charity Sarcoma UK. He also leads his regional sarcoma support group which is based in Bournemouth.
Steve said: “All sarcoma patients should be treated at sarcoma specialist centres.”
According to Sarcoma UK, 15 people in the UK are diagnosed with the illness every day. However, only 25 per cent of the population know what it is, with only seven per cent recognising its signs and symptoms.
Megan Fletcher, early diagnosis officer at Sarcoma UK, said: “Getting diagnosed as early as possible is key.
“The greater awareness we have of sarcoma, and the importance of early diagnosis, the more chance we have of being able to help people like Steve when it will really make a difference.”
Signs and symptoms of sarcoma include:
- A lump which is growing, changing, or bigger than a golf ball
- Swelling, tenderness, or pain in or around the bone which may come and go and may be worse at night
- Stomach pain, feeling sick, loss of appetite or feeling full after eating only a small amount of food
- Blood in either poo or vomit
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