35-Year-Old Dies: Were Cancer Delays to Blame?

A family is calling for improvements in healthcare after their daughter, Francesca Vincent, died from a rare cancer at the age of 35. Francesca, from Wokingham, passed away in July 2024 from soft tissue Ewing sarcoma. Her parents, Sharon and Peter Vincent, believe delays in her diagnosis and treatment significantly impacted her prognosis.

Francesca first experienced symptoms in January 2023, initially being told she might have gallstones. A scan in February 2023 revealed a lesion on her pancreas, which was potentially malignant. Biopsy and referral to a specialist cancer centre experienced delays. Despite her condition worsening, she was admitted to hospital for 14 nights, with one night in intensive care.

She was diagnosed with soft tissue Ewing sarcoma in March 2023. Initially, her family was informed the cancer was inoperable and chemotherapy was not an option. Despite these setbacks, the tumour reportedly shrank from 20cm to 4cm after treatment. She even returned to work briefly in early 2024. However, the cancer later spread to her liver, leading to further chemotherapy.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has reviewed Francesca's care, identifying learning points and acknowledging that certain aspects could have been handled better. They have apologized to the family. Sarcoma UK noted that such cases are unfortunately common due to the often vague symptoms of sarcoma, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis.