An Oxford mother and grandmother has described how her daughter's pancreatic cancer was "missed by doctors" despite the family's awareness of the disease.
Sue Nicholls' daughter Sarah Barrett was only 49 when she died in February 2024 as a result of the disease that also killed Sarah's father.
Sue said: “Sarah was afraid of getting pancreatic cancer because her dad died of the disease nine years ago.
"When she began to develop symptoms and feared she had pancreatic cancer, the doctor dismissed her concerns and told her she definitely didn't have it."
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Since losing Sarah, Sue has found strength through fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer Action, a UK-wide pancreatic cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through early diagnosis and by raising awareness of the disease which kills 26 people in the UK a day.
She said her daughter was aware of the signs but struggled getting the right assistance.
Sue added: “The problem was more with convincing her GP that she was seriously ill.
"GPs need to be more aware - they need to wake up, be more alert and listen to people.
"Sarah was in a lot of pain, and it saddens me that she never got treated properly.”
A spokesperson from the Pancreatic Cancer Action said Sarah's concerns were dismissed and she was told that she had to have two close blood relatives in order to be eligible for further genetic testing.
The mother-of-two was doing everything right the family has said - she had a healthy lifestyle, was very careful with her diet, didn't smoke and didn't drink to excess.
Her symptoms began in spring 2023 when she developed pain in her stomach.
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Sue said: “It took her a while to get an appointment and when she finally did, she told the doctor that her dad had died of pancreatic cancer, and it was her fear that she had it too.
"The doctor dismissed her concerns and told her that she definitely didn’t have pancreatic cancer.”
The pain became excruciating by summer last year - one day so bad she went straight to A&E after dropping her child off at school
She was fitted with an emergency stent to treat jaundice before she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The tumour was removed in August alongside six cancerous lymph nodes, and the family thought things were good.
Sue said: “But the pain returned, she received another scan, and unfortunately it showed that the cancer had spread to her liver.
"It was terminal and Sarah was really afraid.
"She had four rounds of chemotherapy in the hope that it would give her more time.”
In those final months, Sarah married her partner and spent all her time getting everything ready for her family - including planning her own funeral and paying for everything.
Sue said: “Time is of the essence with pancreatic cancer - it was really rampant with Sarah so maybe she still wouldn’t have survived if she was diagnosed earlier, but healthcare professionals need to listen to people."
The NHS has been contacted for comment.
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