A National Health Service physician has shed light regarding the untimely death of an Essex woman who mistook her cancer for pregnancy. The 22-year old make-up artist died just three weeks after she was admitted to a hospital.
Dr. Helen Webberley told Huffington Post that Demi Wright, 22, had a rare case of molar pregnancy. She said the cancerous growth on Wright's endometrial tissue caused her to test positive in initial pregnancy tests even though she wasn't carrying a child.
According to Web MD, a molar pregnancy occurs when an abnormal lump takes the place of a growing fetus in a woman's body. The anomalous growth still prompts the body to show signs of pregnancy despite the absence of an embryo. This genetic error happens in one out of 1,500 women.
In Wright's case, she was taken to a maternity ward when her blood test revealed high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in her system. HCG is a hormone that helps support the development of an egg in a woman's ovary.
Metro reported that succeeding scans did not show any signs of a baby, causing doctors to think Wright had an ectopic pregnancy. Keyhole surgery was needed to remove the supposed fetus from Wright's fallopian tube in order to save it before it grows any further.
What doctors found instead was a 12-centimeter tumor growing on her liver. It was the one releasing the HCG all along. It had already developed into an extreme lump which doctors deemed incurable at that point.
"The cancer had spread and her liver, pancreas and other body parts just weren't working properly anymore," said Wright's 51-year old father Chris. "We thought we might have had a couple of months but she deteriorated rapidly. When she was told the news she sat up and looked at the doctor and we could tell it was hard for him also."
The Independent reported that Wright's family and friends have raised over £2,300 in her memory to help increase funding for Cancer Research UK. They will also be participating in the Race for Life at Castle Park this July.
