‘My aggressive cancer was dismissed as a verruca’

A mother of twins has described how she survived a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer which was initially dismissed as a verruca.

Beatrice Buckley, known as Bea, developed a mole on her foot while pregnant with her twin sons Alfred and Thomas.

At first she noticed a small dark spot “bigger than a freckle” on the side of her right foot.

In a matter of months the skin lesion grew to the size of a 10 pence piece.

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Even dermatologists did not think the mole was anything sinister until tests revealed that it was a rare and potentially fatal form of skin cancer.

Tests revealed that Ms Buckley had stage three acral melanoma, a rare type of skin cancer which is usually found on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, or under the nails.

She told the PA news agency: “I fell pregnant in 2020, and in the really early stages of my pregnancy, I noticed a little dark spot, so bigger than a freckle.

“I thought it was probably a verruca but I’d never had a verruca before, so I went (to the pharmacy), to ask how I could safely treat it in pregnancy.

“They just said they didn’t think it was a verruca, but not to worry about it if it wasn’t painful and that it would probably just go away on its own.

“So I suppose I put it to the back of my mind.”

The 39-year-old added: “When the twins were about eight months old it had grown in size.

“It started doing all of the things that you are supposed to look out for, it had doubled in size, it was bleeding, when I went running it was irritated.

“So I went to the GP thinking ‘this could be nasty’ but even the GP thought is was a verruca which had probably just rubbed in my running shoes.

“They only referred me to dermatology because of my skin type.

“Even at that stage when I saw a dermatologist they thought it was probably nothing but they took a biopsy and to everyone’s surprise it came back as malignant melanoma.

“It was a real shock.”

The freelance communications manager, who stopped work during treatment, told PA: “It’s terrifying. The word cancer is incredibly scary.

“When you hear the word cancer, your mind immediately goes to the worst place.

“You do have thoughts in the middle of the night of your children growing up without a mum, and it’s awful.”

Doctors found that the cancer had spread to a number of lymph nodes.

But after three surgeries and targeted therapy Ms Buckley is now disease-free.

According to Cancer Research UK, only 1% to 3% of melanoma cases are acral melanoma, the disease which led to the death of Reggae artist Bob Marley in 1981 aged just 36.

This type of cancer is more common among people with brown or black skin.

This type of cancer is also more commonly diagnosed in middle aged and older adults.

During her ordeal she signed up to a research “match making” service – which she described as a “one stop shop” to help people get involved in studies to further understanding about cancer and other diseases.

“I feel so passionately about research, because I feel like I’m one of the patients who has directly benefited from research because years ago, melanoma patients were only treated with surgery, huge clusters of lymph nodes would be removed, and that would sort of carry risks of life changing side effects.

“For me, I was able to take two tablets twice a day from home, it wasn’t a picnic, I was quite unwell last year, but nevertheless, now six months on from finishing my treatment, I’m here.

“I don’t have any residual side effects, I am well and I am cancer free.

“I feel so grateful to research for having brought these drugs to the market.”

She added: “Be Part of Research is a really good way of doing it. It’s a really good way for anyone to sign up. It’s really easy.

“It’s like a one stop shop for people wanting to get involved in research.”

Ms Buckley, from Reading, signed up to the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Be Part of Research project which can be joined through the NHS App.

She was matched her with a research project called MyMelanoma and signed up to the study, which aims to build the world’s biggest melanoma database.

More than half a million people have registered with Be Part of Research, and around 50,000 have taken part in research through the service.

NIHR said that people can sign up to the project with “a few simple clicks” through the NHS App in England.

It is also available in partnership with the NHS in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It is aiming to get one million people signed up to the project by April 2025.

Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and NIHR chief executive, said: “Be Part of Research simplifies the process of taking part in research, by matching users to suitable studies based on their interests and where they live.

“To ensure that UK research can continue to unlock advances in treatment and care and improve NHS services, social care and public health, we need everyone, from all backgrounds and communities, to sign up to this important service.”

Dr Vin Diwakar, national director of transformation at NHS England, added: “Whether you’re in good health or have an existing health condition, I’d encourage everyone interested in getting involved in health research to tap ‘Be Part of Research’ in the NHS App to help develop new treatments that could improve people’s lives now and in the future.”