In a stunning display of medical deduction, a locum GP reportedly told 42-year-old Beth Jenkins that the lump in her breast was likely just "medical anxiety" and that she was "too young to have breast cancer." Spoiler alert: it was breast cancer. Specifically, lobular breast cancer with a 5cm (2in) tumor that had already spread to three lymph nodes. But sure, anxiety.
Jenkins, a police officer and mother-of-two from Merthyr Tydfil, first noticed a "small pea-sized" lump in her right breast back in 2018. After an ultrasound, she was told it was probably just glandular tissue, and no biopsy was done. Fast forward a few years, and after her daughter Robyn accidentally kicked her chest while having a nappy change, Jenkins realized the lump had become "massive." So she went back to her GP practice in October 2024.
At 40, she was told she was "too young" for breast cancer and that the lump might be an infection or "medical anxiety" linked to postnatal depression. She was prescribed antibiotics. "I haven't got medical anxiety," Jenkins said. "Otherwise I'd be up the hospital and doctors' every week." A fair point, but when has logic ever stopped a lazy diagnosis?
Two weeks later, she returned to the practice and spoke to a female GP who reviewed her notes and advised her to submit an e-consult, noting she should have been referred straight away. The same locum doctor then called her, saying she was "still a bit anxious about this lump." Jenkins replied, "I'm not anxious. I said it's something, it's non-infection. I need to have it seen to." She was finally referred to a breast clinic and diagnosed on 14 November 2024 - by which time the cancer had spread to three lymph nodes.
"Me and my dad, we just sat in shock really. I didn't even cry, I didn't get upset," she said. Despite the devastating news, Jenkins praised the specialist team, recalling her consultant's reassurance: "I promise you I will get rid of this."
Initially, Jenkins had a mastectomy and told her eight-year-old daughter Fallon that she had a "boob job." Fallon's response? "Why did you just have the one boob done and not the other one?" Kids, eh? She later told Fallon the truth before starting chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which caused her to lose her hair.
Further preventative treatment led to serious complications, including neutropenic sepsis. "They said if I had gone there 24 hours later, I wouldn't have survived," she said. Jenkins is now classed as having no evidence of disease but will be monitored for 15 years. People have called her "one of the lucky ones," but she begs to differ: "Lucky would be not to have cancer at all, and not for my kids to see what they've had to see for the last two years."
Jenkins described GPs as "the gateway to the services" and warned, "if you can't get past the GP to get to that service, there's people dying." In the UK, routine NHS breast screening isn't automatically offered to 40-year-olds; standard invitations begin at 50. Dr Lee Campbell from Cancer Research Wales noted that although uncommon, there are about 100-115 cases of breast cancer in women under 40 each year in Wales. "Age should not be a deciding factor for referral for further investigations if symptoms present in younger women," he added.
Jenkins hopes sharing her story will encourage others to "keep pushing" for answers. "If I hadn't had a voice, or if I'd just listened to that doctor, I could be sitting here now and they'd say, 'it's in your bones, in your brain,'" she said. "So many more people are sat in the house right now who should have been diagnosed and by the time they go back they're terminal. Cancer didn't care that I was a mother to a 10 month old... cancer doesn't discriminate."
NICE guidelines state that people 40 and under should be referred for further investigation if they have an unexplained breast or armpit lump, with or without pain, or skin changes that could indicate breast cancer. Research by Cancer Research Wales found "an inequity" in how GPs apply these guidelines - some follow them closely, others rely on experience or instinct. Campbell said, "We are currently working with researchers and primary care centres across Wales to ensure guidelines are followed and best practice is pursued. With respect to cancer, this will enable GP practices to go from gatekeepers to case-finders and will ensure cases like Beth's are dealt with sooner and not readily dismissed."
Since raising concerns publicly, Jenkins said her GP practice had been "pretty forthcoming" and issued a statement on social media in July 2025, admitting a "serious diagnosis was unfortunately missed at first. Thankfully, she returned to see another member of our team who sent an urgent referral - but had they not, the outcome could have been very different. In the patient's own words 'trust your instincts'."
Jenkins said she has "tried to turn a negative into a positive." To mark two years since her diagnosis, she created Breast Fest, a charity event to raise money for Merthyr Cancer Aid on 14 November, which has raised £6,000 from ticket sales alone. "People are being so kind. It's gone really well and I'm hoping to raise a lot of money," she said.
In other news: Sir Tom Jones mentors Welsh singer to victory on The Voice UK, drugs and weapons found in raids as e-bikes 'blight' communities, and cleft lip filler 'boosts confidence' - but expert warns of exploitation risk. Because nothing says 'public health' like a mixed bag of absurdity.