Lorna Nickson Brown discovered she had thyroid cancer
- Lorna Nickson Brown’s mother was the first to spot the lump in her neck in 2015
- Despite feeling fine, she became concerned and visited her GP 3 months later
- After undergoing medical tests she discovered they confirmed she had a nodule
- Further assessments revealed that the small growth was actually malignant
- She has now been in remission for slightly more than a year after having surgery
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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Never once did Lorna Nickson Brown assume that the lump on her neck was anything sinister.
But the relatively unsuspicious growth turned out to be thyroid cancer after she was diagnosed with the disease two years ago.
The actress, who has played a part in Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Holby City and Doctors, could easily have never spotted the symptoms.
In the hope that others will become aware of the little-known sign, she has shared a photograph of her cancer in plain sight.
The 26-year-old’s Twitter post includes a photo taken before she was given the diagnosis, and a second after having surgery.
Lorna Nickson Brown, 26, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2015 after doctors found a lump in her neck (left). She has now been in remission for just slightly more than a year after having the left side of her thyroid, where the cancer was, removed (right)
Miss Nickson Brown told the I newspaper: ‘This isn’t what I thought cancer looked like. The minute you tell people, it’s the cancer face. I didn’t feel ill.
And on Twitter she added: ‘It is not widely known about.
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‘I didn’t even know what a thyroid was until I was told I have thyroid cancer. Now I know everything about thyroids!’
Miss Nickson Brown’s mother first spotted the strange lump on her neck, but put it down to her losing some weight.
WHAT IS THYROID CANCER?
Thyroid cancer is a rare type of cancer that affects the thyroid gland, a small gland at the base of the neck that produces hormones.
Women are two to three times more likely to develop it than men.
Symptoms of thyroid cancer can include:
- a painless lump or swelling in the front of the neck
- swollen glands in the neck
- unexplained hoarseness that doesn’t get better after a few weeks
- a sore throat that doesn’t get better
- difficulty swallowing
Around 9 in every 10 people are alive five years after diagnosis. Many of these are cured and will have a normal lifespan.
Source: NHS Choices
Despite feeling fine, she became increasingly concerned with the growth and she decided to eventually visit her GP three months later.
And after undergoing a range of medical tests and scans, they confirmed to her that it was a thyroid nodule – a fluid-filled lump.
Further assessment confirmed her worst fears, revealing the mass was malignant and that she needed surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
She has now been in remission for just slightly more than a year after having the left side of her thyroid, where the cancer was, removed.
Thyroid cancer is usually treatable and in many cases can be cured completely, but it can sometimes come back after undergoing treatment.
Alongside the lump in the neck, other symptoms of the relatively rare form of the disease include unexplained hoarseness, a sore throat and difficulty swallowing.
Miss Nickson Brown will be running a marathon next month to raise money for the Birmingham-based charity Get-A-Head, which helped her through her diagnosis.
Anyone wanting to donate can do so here.
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