Intensive care nurse, 33, claims her lung cancer was misdiagnosed as long as Covid

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An intensive care nurse claimed his lung cancer was misdiagnosed as Covid – although he never tested positive for the virus.

Brogan Williams, 33, of Wolverhampton, was in remission from breast cancer when she started noticing back pain and shortness of breath in October 2020 but was unable to make an appointment in front of face due to the pandemic.

After going to A&E with chest pain, the mother-of-one was diagnosed with Covid Lung, a symptom associated with Long Covid. It wasn’t until the end of June this year that Brogan was sent for a CT scan and biopsy, when his oncologist discovered a lump in his neck.

In July, a CT scan showed cancer and fluid on her lungs, and the nurse now believes the lack of in-person appointments is to blame for doctors not catching the disease sooner.

She told the Birmingham Mail when she first tried asking for help, that the doctors looked down on her and said: “I felt like they were telling me to stop being stupid and to continue.”

Brogan Williams, 33, of Wolverhampton, was in remission from breast cancer when she began to notice back pain and shortness of breath in October 2020. She is pictured with daughter Freya and husband Gareth.

Brogan Williams, 33, of Wolverhampton, was in remission from breast cancer when she began to notice back pain and shortness of breath in October 2020. She is pictured with daughter Freya and husband Gareth.

Brogan’s journey with cancer began at age 30, when her husband noticed her nipple was inverted. The couple were trying to have a baby and thought it could be a sign of pregnancy.

When Brogan’s period arrived, she decided to have the inverted nipple checked by her GP.

Two weeks later, in January 2019, Brogan was diagnosed with Her2 positive stage 3 grade 3 invasive breast cancer with confirmed lymph node spread.

The mother underwent six rounds of intense chemotherapy with two admissions for septic neutropenia before having an anaphylactic reaction to her last round of chemo.

After going to A&E with chest pain, the mother-of-one was diagnosed with Covid Lung, a symptom associated with Long Covid. It wasn't until the end of June this year that Brogan was sent for a CT scan and biopsy, when his oncologist discovered a lump in his neck.

After going to A&E with chest pain, the mother-of-one was diagnosed with Covid Lung, a symptom associated with Long Covid. It wasn’t until the end of June this year that Brogan was sent for a CT scan and biopsy, when his oncologist discovered a lump in his neck.

Brogan underwent a mastectomy of her left breast with temporary reconstruction – which would send her back to 24-hour surgery for an operation to remove a hematoma.

She then had to undergo 15 cycles of radiation therapy, suffering from skin burns, pain, severe fatigue and chest infections as a result of her treatment.

Metastasis: how cancer travels from one part of the body to another

Cancer is a disease in which cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce in an uncontrollable way. Cancer cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including organs.

Cancer sometimes starts in one part of the body before spreading to other areas. This process is known as metastasis.

Explaining the process in an article published in the journal Cell, Dr Joan Massagué, director of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Center for Metastasis Research, said: “From the time a tumor begins to form until it is ‘it is removed surgically, it sheds tumor cells in the body.

“Most of these cells die, but a few may not. “

These latecomers can hide, only to ignite later elsewhere – a phenomenon called latent (or dormant) metastasis.

At the end of all active treatment, Brogan had to continue chemotherapy – but in his eleventh cycle, he was told his heart was failing.

Brogan was forced to temporarily stop treatment while taking heart medication to strengthen her left ventricle.

In March 2019, Brogan underwent DIEP reconstruction with right mastectomy, which, due to the stress of the operation, caused his heart to fail again.

Her heart stabilized with the help of medication, but with severe shortness of breath and a new breast infection, the mother’s recovery was slower than expected.

In October 2020, Brogan was in remission, but during the pandemic complained to GPs and oncologists of chest pain. She was told she was too young for her cancer to come back.

In February of this year, the mother had an MRI scan of her spine, which came back clear. Brogan returned to work in July. She underwent a CT scan which showed lung metastases shortly before her 33rd birthday.

“But in fact, if they had had a CT scan of my chest, they would have seen that there was cancer in my lungs at that time,” she said.

“Now it’s in both lungs and it’s very advanced. It’s in my neck and I have two spots on my liver that they can’t rule out like cancer too.

Brogan is now waiting for test results to find out exactly what type of cancer she has, but says she is a “time bomb” with no treatment.

Brogan’s relatives have created a GoFundMe page for the mother to take her daughter and husband on a unique trip to Disneyland in Florida.

Gwen Nuttall, COO of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, told the publication: “A patient would only be admitted by A&E if there was a clinical reason at this stage for it. In many cases, additional examinations are performed on an outpatient basis.

“We’re sorry Brogan thinks she hasn’t received the care she expected, we would love to have the opportunity to discuss this with her in more detail. Our patient experience team will contact her.

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