I got breast cancer after waiting 18 months for NHS preventative surgery – there could be thousands more like me

A MUM-of-two who waited 18 monthsfor surgery to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer was then diagnosed with the disease.

The NHS trust has apologised to Sharni Marks, 31, who is still in treatment, admitting it was “probable” her cancer developed while she waited for the op.

Sharni had been found to have the BRCA2 gene in 2018, which can increase the risk of cancer if it’s faulty.

She was told by surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, West Mids., that a double mastectomy would reduce the risk of her developing breast cancer.

Sharni was put on a waiting list in August 2022, but not given any time frame for her surgery.

Each time she called the hospital for an update, she was told she was top of the list for preventative surgery – but she wasn’t scheduled for the procedure until March 2024.

After almost two years of waiting, she underwent a double mastectomy surgery and reconstruction.

But during a routine post-op assessment three weeks later, she was told a mass had found in the left breast tissue and been removed.

Sharni was given the devastating diagnosis of grade-three breast cancer – and told the type of cancer she had developed was more common in patients with BRCA gene mutations.

She fears there could be “thousands” of others like her.

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust has expressed its apologies to Sharni over the delays to surgey.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that around 60,000 Brits who have previously been tested for the BRCA genetic fault may be at higher risk of cancer without realising it.

Before 2018, people with a family history of breast cancer that met criteria for referral were tested for BRCA1 and 2, plus TP53. 

But the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline is urging people who were told they were negative for faulty BRCA genes to see their GP – as it’s founder Wendy Watson MBE told The Sun that scientists have detected more mutant genes that could increase a person’s risk of hereditary cancer in recent years.

Sharni, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, said: “When I was told I was at high risk of getting breast cancer, I thought being under the care of breast surgeons would be the best thing for me.

“After starting our family, I was added onto the waiting list for surgery. Months went by and I was still on the waiting list.

“It got to the point where I would call often to seek an update.

“It felt like it got to the stage where I knew what I was going to be told each time before I called.

“To finally undergo a double preventative mastectomy was a relief to start with. But that turned to devastation when I was told I’d developed cancer.

“It was a huge decision to have a life-changing mastectomy.

“Sometimes it feels like I’ve gone through the physical trauma of surgery and the emotion of deciding to have surgery for nothing.

“Given what the Hospital Trust has told me, it’s often hard not to think whether I wouldn’t have developed cancer if I’d have undergone surgery sooner.”

‘Hardest months of my life’

Sharni is struggling with sickness and weakness while losing her hair and nails and developing mouth ulcers due to her treatment.

Her treatment has also left her unable to have any more children naturally.

Sharni, a secondary school dance teacher, said: “The last few months have been the hardest of my life.

“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions but I’m so grateful to my surgeon who performed my mastectomy for helping to diagnose my cancer and everyone involved in my care since.

It’s incredibly concerning that there could well be thousands of others who have been waiting for surgery and who have received a life-changing diagnosis

Sharni Marks

“While my treatment has been debilitating and has had a massive impact on my physical and mental health, everyone involved in my care around my diagnosis and treatment has been amazing.

“I’m often wiped out after chemo and instead of being the active mum I want to be playing a key role in bringing up the kids, I often need looking after.

“However, I’m determined to focus on my recovery so I can be there for my family.

“Me and Jack always wanted a family. We feel so blessed that we’ve got two beautiful children who mean everything to us.

“However, to not have the choice of deciding whether to have more children naturally is difficult to accept.

“The issue around waiting lists and the time it’s taking for people to have surgery is serious.

“It’s incredibly concerning that there could well be thousands of others who have been waiting for surgery and who have received a life-changing diagnosis.

“People may not think it will affect them, but it can affect anyone.”

Hospital’s apology

A letter from the Hospital Trust to her GP in June 2024 said Sharni’s case had been discussed in a weekly meeting of harm.

The letter said she had “most probably come to harm developing a breast cancer during her long wait for bilateral risk reducing mastectomy.”

It added that “it was probable that her cancer has developed whilst waiting about a year and a half for her risk reducing mastectomy.”

In a follow up letter to Sharni, the Trust expressed its “sincere apologies” that she had been “involved in a patient safety incident.”

The Trust launched an investigation to help it “minimise the possibility of such incidents recurring and drive improvements.”

Sharni has now instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate her care and help her access the specialist treatment and rehabilitation she requires.

Laura Ellacott, a specialist medical negligence lawyer at the firm, said: “The last few months and coming to terms with the physical and psychological impact of her diagnosis has been incredibly difficult for Sharni and her family.

“Understandably, Sharni has a number of concerns about her care and whether more could have been done to prevent her cancer developing. The first-hand account we’ve heard from her and the Hospital Trust’s own findings are worrying.

“While we recognise the NHS is under tremendous strain and waiting lists can be long, care delays can have a devastating impact.

“Each case of a patient facing a wait for treatment isn’t a statistic but a human story of someone who has potentially been exposed to unnecessary suffering or harm.

“Such incidents can have significant consequences for patients and families, including through a life-changing diagnosis or even death.

“We continue to support Sharni and are determined to help provide her with all the answers she deserves and access to the specialist care she needs.”

The hospital trust was approached for comment.