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Original poster

How was it that Jade Goody's cancer went undetected? Not salacious, just medical.

37 replies

imaginaryfriend · 10/03/2009 22:16

I have to confess that I've avoided all the Jade Goody stories so far.

So can anyone who's been following them tell me how they managed to miss such an advanced cancer? Is it true that she ignored a letter about an abnormal smear test? How was it finally detected?

I'm not being salacious. I've had to have a couple of fairly straight forward treatments for abnormal smears and the JG story has kept nagging at me. I now have to have repeat smears every 6 months, but if they're inaccurate how would I know if there was a problem?

OP posts:
katz · 10/03/2009 22:21

i think it has been reported that she ignored an abnormal smear and then about 12 months later started experiencing stomache ache and fainting episodes and that it then took a further 12 months after that before they comfirmed the cancer, but thats just from memory.

Candlewax · 10/03/2009 22:24

I do believe that she did ignore all her letters, advice etc. I suppose she thought it could never REALLY happen to her.

I had CIN III and the next stage was terminal, I did not hang around! I took note of all my GP's letters and got treatment very quickly thank goodness.

katz · 10/03/2009 22:25

from wikipedia

Cancer
Goody had a number of health scares throughout the 2000s. In 2002, shortly before her Big Brother 3 appearance, she had a cervical smear test which revealed abnormal cells, a possible indicator of cancer.[89] She was later tested for ovarian cancer in 2004 and bowel cancer in 2006, but was given the all-clear on each occasion.[89][90] She underwent hospital tests in early August 2008 after her fourth cancer scare. She had already collapsed four times. The test results confirmed she has cervical cancer; she was told of this on 19 August 2008 while in the Indian version of Big Brother, called Bigg Boss.[90] Her spokesperson said, "It looks like her cancer is at an early stage but we will have to wait until she gets back to Britain and sees a specialist and has more tests".[91]

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 10/03/2009 23:44

I thought I saw an interview with her in which she said she'd had treatments for her abnormal cells in the late 80s and early 90s?

OP posts:
Fimbo · 10/03/2009 23:58

I wondered about this too.

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 11/03/2009 00:05

It's quite scary isn't it? She probably had private health care as well and it troubles me that they didn't pick up on it with all those tests.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 11/03/2009 00:09

She's only 27 tho, so late eighties I doubt!

Original poster
imaginaryfriend · 11/03/2009 00:14

Sorry - I misread Katz quote from wiki, the bits in square brackets I thought were dates!

OP posts:
hippipotamiHasLostSixPounds · 11/03/2009 08:19

I heard her say in an interview that she had ignored some letters about going back for further smears after abnormal cells were found.
And that she was really cross with herself for not taking it more serious

nickschick · 11/03/2009 08:23

I think I recall hearing on this morning when Proffesor Robert Winston explained that the majority of Jades cancer was quite rarely on the 'outside' of her womb - so the cells picked up during a smear wouldnt have detected it until it was quite advanced its also a fast growing cancer that was able to attack other organs v quickly.

Fimbo · 11/03/2009 10:08

That really is very scary, nickschick.

TsarChasm · 11/03/2009 10:14

I wondered about this too but have also stayed off the threads.

The other thing I find so worrying is that someone with cancer at this late stage seems to be in such terrifying pain. I thought that could be controlled better nowadays, but I don't know much about it it's true.

2shoes · 11/03/2009 10:16

i did read she is alergic to morphine(so hope that isn't true)

compo · 11/03/2009 10:19

yes I'm quite shocked at how much pain she is in and now they say she is going blind (something else I'd never heard as a side effect of cancer)

TsarChasm · 11/03/2009 10:21

God it gets worse.

I hope the poor woman finds some peace soon.

pud1 · 11/03/2009 10:23

my sil went undetected. she did not go for a smear for 10 years. she was getting pains and had a smear and it was clear. she went through a few tests including a scan they said the pains were caused by her ciol. it was finally detected 8 months after she first went to the doctors. she died 10 months later aged 34..

2shoes · 11/03/2009 10:25

compo we discussed this with df's doc and normally the patient is kind of put into a very deep sleep(thin it was called the liverpool express)

CoteDAzur · 11/03/2009 10:45

My understanding/recollection is that Jade had several bad smears and had at least one operation where bad cells were frozen off ("cryotherapy"). She was a bit miffed that they kept coming back and ignored the last few letters asking her to come back because she had bad smear test results. Then got diagnosed with cancer which had by then metastasized (spread around her body - which is why she had cancer on the outside of her womb) and hence there was nothing to do.

I had CIN III and the LEEP procedure, then have had clean smears for the past five years.

One problem I see in Jade's story is that the treatment was cryotherapy, where there is no cut out sample to be sent off to biopsy. Hence, you can never be sure that the entire affected area was taken out. This is probably why her abnormal cells kept coming back - they were never fully taken out.

Another problem is her ignoring repeated letters. Abnormal cells beyond a certain level turn into cancer if untreated - there is no mystery there.

nickschick · 11/03/2009 11:06

My mother died of cervical cancer and my mil died of breast cancer so I think im able to say there is a heck of a lot of pain relief vailable and that a lot of the pain in terminal cancer is fear of the unknown and the pain of other problems associated with cancer.

They are still operating on Jade to relieve her pain even though things arent looking long term.

Id hate for people to think cancer is a painful death - it is to an extent but medical pain can be relieved.

Thats not to belittle cancer its broke my heart .

CoteDAzur · 11/03/2009 11:08

nickschick

LauriefairycakeeatsCupid · 11/03/2009 11:09

I think it's very scary to read that a normal smear wouldn't have picked it up as they were on the outside of the womb

CoteDAzur · 11/03/2009 11:21

Laurie - I don't think that is correct.

Jade is dying from cervical cancer. The cervix is very much inside the womb.

If there is cancer outside the womb, that is metastasis - cervical cancer has spread.

LauriefairycakeeatsCupid · 11/03/2009 11:23

oh right, so what you're saying is that it could have been caught early enough by a normal smear before it metastisized?

CoteDAzur · 11/03/2009 11:26

Normal smear would catch abnormal cells on the cervix even before they turned into cancer-in-situ (before metastasis) which is like a bad mole - remove it and all is fine.

Even after it has metastasized, she would still have cancer on cervix which can still be diagnosed with a smear.

nickschick · 11/03/2009 11:26

Im not really well informed on this enough but Robert Winston is my hero ......and im quite sure he said on 'this morning'that Jades cancer was unusual.