Doctors told me my disturbing symptom was 'just hormones' - it was actually cancer READ MORE: Women want children but are forced into freezing their eggs By Rebecca Whittaker For Mailonline Published: 10:32, 30 October 2024 | Updated: 10:40, 30 October 2024 e-mail View comments A 26-year-old cancer patient was left outraged after a GP dismissed her bleeding nipple and breast lump as 'just hormones' — and told her she 'didn't meet the criteria' for breast cancer. However, a subsequent biopsy performed by a breast clinic revealed the business manager in fact had early stage breast cancer which left her needing a mastectomy to stop the disease from spreading. Courtney Bailey, from Newcastle, is now awaiting further test results that will determine whether or not she's cancer free.
She said: 'I was told all the time that I was too young. We need to shift this mindset that you're too young to have cancer because anyone can have it. I was made to feel like it was nothing.
' It comes as breast cancer rates in those aged 25 to 49 have risen by nearly a fifth since 1990, according to Cancer Research UK. Ms Bailey's concerns began in June, when she noticed a blood-stained water droplet on her left nipple after coming out the shower. She visited her GP the next day but claims she was told she 'did not fit the criteria' to be referred and her symptoms were likely due to a 'hormone imbalance'.
Days later she discovered a small, hard lump under the same nipple and returned to the GP — y.