Susan Gasson, a 75-year-old grandmother of four, says she feels “lucky to be alive” after being diagnosed with four different cancers over the past 40 years. She has received treatment for breast, cervical, thyroid and lung cancer since the 1980s. “I feel lucky to still be here. I’m lucky to be alive,” she said.
Susan’s first diagnosis came in her early 30s, when she found a pea-sized lump in her right breast. Doctors at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust performed a lumpectomy, removing the tumour and some surrounding tissue. She did not need any further treatment. “It was pea-sized, and when they did the lumpectomy, they found a mass of them,” she said. “I was told it was a bit like porridge — lots of very tiny lumps.”
Her second cancer was discovered after Susan began experiencing heavy periods. Doctors initially diagnosed her with anaemia caused by iron deficiency, as well as fibroids — non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb.
Susan underwent a hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the womb, at Watford General Hospital in 1985-86. During the operation, doctors discovered pre-cancerous cells. “That was cervical cancer, but they got it all out,” she said.
“I was worried because of my young children, and I was going through a divorce from my first husband at the time as well,” Susan said. “It was all very stressful and traumatic, but I try not to dwell on these things.”
The theatre-loving grandmother believes her positive outlook helped her cope with the diagnosis. Looking after her children also gave her an important distraction during a difficult period.
Cancer had also affected Susan’s family. Her father died from oesophageal cancer, while her mother was undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer when Susan noticed another lump.
“I discovered I had a lump in my neck, the same way [my mother] had,” she said. “It was like a small egg.” Doctors initially thought the lump might be connected to the carotid artery, but Susan was later diagnosed with thyroid cancer and attended the Marsden in July 1996.
She was referred for surgery at the hospital’s Chelsea site and later received radiotherapy at the Sutton site. “It turned out it was thyroid cancer, so they removed my thyroid,” she said.
Susan’s fourth and most recent cancer diagnosis came in 2020, after she developed a persistent cough that “wouldn’t go” and felt “like a tickle”. “I didn’t feel it was coming from my lungs at all at the time,” she said.
Her GP arranged an X-ray, which showed an abnormal mass. After a further appointment at the Marsden in October 2020, Susan was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Susan, who lives in Greenwich, south-east London, underwent surgery to remove a large section of her lung and part of her windpipe. “That was a shock… this surgery was more traumatic than the other surgeries that I’d had,” she said. “It was more painful and more debilitating.”
She also received chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the Marsden, which is marking its 175th anniversary this year. When the cancer returned, doctors told Susan she could take part in a new clinical trial offering hope to lung cancer patients with the HER2 gene mutation, which can trigger excessive cell growth and division.
Susan now takes one tablet a day, and her lung tumour has shrunk without the need for further chemotherapy. “My cancer has shrunk and the side effects have been minimal, allowing me to have a much better quality of life,” she said. “Thanks to this trial, I got to see my first granddaughter go off to university and I hope to see her graduate.”
