When Jane McCoy was diagnosed with bowel (colorectal) cancer, it had metastasised to her liver, lymph nodes and lungs. At just 38 years of age, she had experienced just three weeks of bloating and stomach pains, before going to her doctor who, after doing some blood tests, sent her to A&E with suspected gallstones.
“In August, 2021, I felt extremely fatigued, but put this down to being busy with four children,” she says. “Then, at the start of September, I began to feel very bloated, to the point that none of my trousers were comfortable. I thought this was due to weight gain, but then, over the course of a few weeks, I began to get pains in my stomach at night, I felt nauseous and my appetite disappeared – also, I still couldn’t shake the extreme tiredness.
“Around three weeks after the first stomach ache, I went to see my GP as I wanted to get some medication to ease it and was incredibly lucky that the doctor on call that day was absolutely fantastic. She took my complaints very seriously, took some blood and, although she felt I had gallstones, arranged for me to have an ultrasound to confirm.
“The appointment was booked for two days later and I was delighted that it happened so fast, but my bubble was burst when the GP rang to say she wasn’t happy with my blood results. Apparently, my liver enzymes were raised and she advised me to go straight to A&E. I thought this was overdramatic and suggested I wait until I was going in (for the scan), but she insisted that I go the next morning. So I agreed and went in the next day – little did I know that it would be two weeks before I would go home.”
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After being examined in the hospital, it was discovered that she had a bowel obstruction and was admitted for further tests, which revealed the devastating news that she had stage 4 colon cancer with numerous metastases. “I was told the cancer was very advanced – incurable and inoperable – and while I needed surgery on my bowel there was no time, so I had to go straight on chemotherapy.
“My whole world started to spin and I just couldn’t believe it. The doctor tried to assure me that I would be okay, but over the next few days, things went from bad to worse as I learned that I had advanced bowel cancer which had spread to my liver, lymph nodes and lungs. I had to wait for five days to meet my oncologist and find out what the treatment plan was – these they were the longest and hardest days of my life. Everything was going through my mind – I felt like I was drowning and I just wanted someone to save me.
“Then, a few weeks later, I was devastated to learn that I had the BRAF mutation. This affects 10 per cent of people with bowel cancer and has the poorest prognosis. It means the cancer is very aggressive and becomes resistant to treatment quickly.”
The mother of four continued with chemotherapy for 10 months and, thankfully, this successfully shrank the tumours and helped to stabilise her condition. She was then moved on to targeted therapy for almost a year and, following this, trialled a new immunotherapy drug combined with chemotherapy. “This worked for a while, but, unfortunately, now months later, I have growth in my liver and lungs, so I am back on the very first chemo again. One of my lungs has partially collapsed so we are hoping that the chemo will resolve this.”
Jane, who lives in Wicklow with her husband and children, says that over the past 2 ½ years while undergoing treatment, she has been determined to “live as well as possible”.
“I took up golf, go walking in the woods with my dog, and go on as many trips as I can,” she says. “My priorities have changed and all I want to do now is spend time with my family and friends. I truly know what it means to live, and am genuinely loving life. I do my best to stay as healthy as I can throughout treatment and make the most of my good days.
“I am so grateful to my oncologist and all the team at St Vincent’s Private who have looked after me so well and am blessed to have had access to life-saving drugs which only became available a few years ago. My hope is that more treatment options will become available for my particular cancer type which will allow me precious more time with my husband, kids, family and friends. At the end of the day, that is all I want – more time.”
Jane is a founding member of Bowel Cancer Ireland (Formerly Irish Colorectal Cancer Community). April was Bowel Cancer Awareness Month when organisations such as the Marie Keating Foundation urge the public to get checked if they notice any signs or symptoms of bowel cancer.
“Today, we are confronted with an alarming reality,” says Liz Yeats, chief executive of the Marie Keating Foundation. “Because so many patients are being diagnosed with late-stage bowel cancer, doctors are limited in terms of treatment options and too many patients are dying far too early. It’s a tragedy we cannot ignore and we need to put a more urgent focus on early detection and diagnosis. Shockingly, one in 10 patients is diagnosed under the age of 50, while one in five is under the age of 60 and yet our BowelScreen programme only starts at age 59.
“We cannot afford to let more lives slip through the cracks while we stand idly by. It’s time to challenge the status quo, to push boundaries, and to prioritise proactive measures that save lives.”
Dublin-based GP Dr Fiona Macken says bowel cancer is becoming more prevalent in younger people. “A study, carried out in June 2022, through the National Library of Medicine, noted that the incidence of colorectal, breast, kidney and pancreatic cancers are increasing in younger age groups,” she says.
“Doctors themselves need to be aware that colorectal cancer is no longer a disease of the over 50s. It is seen even as young as 20s. My advice to doctors would be to ask themselves if it could be colorectal cancer and, for the patients, I would say that doctors are humans working as detectives. They are putting a case together based on your symptoms and signs and the latest guidelines and research that they have. So don’t be afraid to tell your doctor if you think that they have missed the biggest clue. If you would really like them to refer you on, ask them could it be colorectal cancer.”
Colorectal cancer
- Colorectal cancer is also known as bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is cancer that starts in the large bowel (colon cancer) or back passage (rectal cancer).
- According to the 2023 National Cancer Registry of Ireland report, 2,560 men and women are diagnosed with bowel cancer in Ireland every year.
- It is the second most common cancer in men in Ireland and the third most common cancer in women. According to the World Health Organisation, bowel cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, accounting for approximately 10 per cent of all cancer cases and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
- Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death overall for men and women in Ireland after lung cancer, with an average of 1,012 deaths per year or 9.7 per cent of cancer deaths in women and 11.2 per cent of cancer deaths in males.
Symptoms include
- Changes in bowel habits such as diarrhoea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool for no obvious reason for six weeks or more.
- Blood in the stool (rectal bleeding), either bright red or dark and tar-like.
- Abdominal cramps, pain or bloating that won’t go away.
- A lump in your back passage or tummy (abdomen).
- Unexplained weight loss that is sudden and losing weight without trying.
- Feeling constantly tired and lacking energy, even with enough rest.
- Iron deficiency anaemia due to chronic bleeding, causing fatigue, weakness and paleness.
- If any concerns visit your GP. And see mariekeating.ie
Metastatic cancer
- The most common parts of the body that cancer spreads to are the bones, liver, lungs, and brain.
- Thanks to significant advances in cancer treatment, more and more metastatic cancer patients are living for many years with a good quality of life.
- There are no current statistics on the number of people living with metastatic cancer in Ireland today.
- There are several supports available to people affected by a metastatic cancer diagnosis within the hospital in which they are being treated – and also in the community. These include free counselling, survivor support – where they can discuss their diagnosis with a trained peer volunteer (someone with a similar metastatic cancer diagnosis) and metastatic cancer peer groups.
