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A A woman has said her ovarian cancer diagnosis was delayed after her symptoms were mistakenly dismissed as menopause or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – accusing her doctor of misogyny and medical gaslighting her.
Sbba Siddique, a 55-year-old business owner, told The Independent that “unconscious bias and cultural incompetence” were also to blame for his late diagnosis.
Ms Siddique, who lives in Berkshire, said she began to feel unwell around October 2021 but was not diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer until March the following year.
“I feel very tired. I have no energy. I am accumulating weight that I did not have before even without changing my eating habits. I need to laugh more,” said the mother of three.
“I went back and forth with my GP trying to get an appointment. I couldn’t do it face to face – every consultation was on the phone or through an online form. This is part of the problem of misdiagnosis.
Her GP was “very dismissive” of her symptoms and attributing them to IBS or menopause, she added.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the expert, the GP – I trust him,” he said.
Ms Siddique, the founder of Asian Star Radio, said she accepted the diagnosis until an immediate appointment with a dermatologist who felt something was wrong.
“He said: ‘Are you okay? Your stomach doesn’t look good.’ My stomach felt like I was six months pregnant,” she recalled. “I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t seen a dermatologist. I always believe what my GP tells me. It will get worse. I would definitely go in by going to A&E.
Ms Siddique went on to be diagnosed with stage 3 cancer – the stage of the disease, she explained, that occurs before stage 4, which is often terminal.
She added: “As women of color, we’re being unfairly disadvantaged. It’s a system that’s just not designed for people like me — for middle-aged women of color. There’s an unconscious bias at play; the system isn’t designed for a variety of patients.
“There’s unconscious bias, cultural incompetence and medical gaslighting to some extent. It’s easier to dismiss me and write me off as a menopausal woman making a fuss.
Ms Siddique said she would have avoided the invasive treatment that has now left her permanently disabled if her cancer diagnosis had not been delayed.
“I had IV chemo – four rounds through a cannula in my arm. I did this for 12 weeks. One of the side effects was peripheral neuropathy from damaged nerve endings in my hands and feet.
“It hurts me to walk and sit, I can’t sit on the floor anymore, I can’t walk far. I can’t wear high heels anymore. I was very active before my diagnosis.
IV chemo also causes fatigue, nausea, vomiting, constipation and hair loss, she added.
He explained how the oral chemotherapy caused a rash, and that he still suffers from PTSD as a result.
“The rash starts on the face and looks like teenage acne. Then it literally spreads to the chest and then to the whole body – this time it has mutated and it looks like it has changed,” added Ms Siddique.
“I was on the medication for seven weeks and was hospitalized four times. The A&E doctor said the rash was an acid burn victim. The rash was dry, scaly, red, raw and itchy. I would stand up and the skin would pool.
He described the side effects of the rash as leaving him exhausted – adding that he was “physically and mentally broken”.
It is now just over a year since Ms Siddique was told she was completely cancer-free – something she describes as a miracle and attributes to her steadfast Muslim faith and the support of her loved ones.
“There is no doubt that the NHS needs more funding,” he concluded. “This must be continued and not a sticking plaster but a long-term policy on cancer treatment. But there must also be a systemic change to take into account the cultural and religious nuances of the patient. You know your body best. You know what is normal and if something is not appropriate, then check.
Janet Lindsay, chief executive of women’s health charity Wellbeing of Women, warns ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage when treatment may be less effective.
“We know that people from minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK require more visits to their GP, have to wait longer for a diagnosis, and are often diagnosed with later-stage cancer,” she added.
Ms Lindsay, whose organization has launched a fundraising campaign for research into the treatment and diagnosis of gynecological cancer, said: “Every year, 7,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK and around 4,100 die from the disease; that’s 11 women every day. There is an urgent need to promote safety.”
Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown, vice-chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We want all women, regardless of their background or circumstances, to feel comfortable approaching their doctor if they have symptoms of pain or worry and we are always concerned. We hear reports from patients who do not feel like that.
“We cannot comment on specific cases because we do not have all the details but the GP aims to do the best for the patient; we are highly trained and experienced in open, confidential and honest conversations, working with our patients to come up with the most appropriate treatment plan, based unique health needs.
“However, we are currently short of GPs and it is increasingly difficult to provide time and safe care for patients, so we are encouraged by the new government’s promise of funding and support for family doctor services.”
