Woman who thought small bump on her vagina was ingrown hair diagnosed with rare cancer
A WOMAN who thought a small bump on her vagina was an ingrown hair was diagnosed months later with advanced vulvar cancer.
Marisa Strupp, 29, was told by her GP it was nothing serious – as the skin around the anomaly was healthy.
Wanting to remove it anyway, the project manager from Milkwaukee, Wisconsin, put off surgery for five months while busy with work.
It wasn’t until August 2018 that Marisa got it tested. Three weeks later she was told she had vulvar cancer.
‘WASN’T WORRIED’
“When I received the diagnosis I was horrified, scared and paralysed with fear,” said Marisa, who had never heard of the illness before.
“I thought it was just a little ingrown hair and since they didn’t give me anything to worry about, I took my time to get it removed.
“I wasn’t worried at the time and was very busy with work, it took me time to see my gynaecologist to take care of it.”
I thought it was just a little ingrown hair and since they didn’t give me anything to worry about, I took my time to get it removed.
Marisa Strupp
Within two weeks Marisa underwent a three-hour surgery to remove the tumour and four central nodes as the cancer had already spread.
Marisa has now finished her year-long immunotherapy treatment, Opdivo, consisting of 12 treatments over a year – and is now waiting for her scan results to come back.
Although Marisa has struggled with the side effects of treatment, she is adamant that cancer will not change her and says sharing her story on Instagram to relate to other young cancer sufferers has helped her immensely.
What is vulvar cancer?
- Vulval cancer is a rare strain of cancer which affects women’s external genitals.
- It typically affects women over the age of 65, and is rare in women under 50 who have not yet gone through the menopause.
- According to the NHS, around 1,300 new cases are diagnosed every year in the UK.
- The outlook for sufferers depends largely on their age and general health, with around six in 10 women surviving for at least five years after treatment.
- However, the condition can return after successful treatment in as many as a third of cases.It’s not yet known what causes vulval cancer, but it’s more prominent in older women, smokers, and people with persistent HPV infections.
- As such, your chances of developing the condition can be reduced with the HPV jab – as well as by quitting smoking and practising safe sex.
- Symptoms include a pain, soreness or persistent itch in the vulva, the external part of the vagina including the labia, clitoris and glands.
- The skin around the vagina can become thicker, raised or discoloured, and a wart-like growth can emerge on it.
- Other obvious symptoms include bleeding from the vulva and blood-stained discharge, along with open sores in the vulva, changing moles and burning pain when urinating.
‘I’M NOT A VICTIM’
“Cancer took so much away from me and I won’t let it take me down and change me,” said Marisa, who credits her boyfriend and family’s support in getting her through the illness.
“I’m not a cancer victim, I’m defeating it. I will say that doesn’t mean I didn’t have days I’d just sit and cry.
“I still have those days. I hate what it’s taken from me, I hate how it’s made me feel and just feels horrible. But I remember I am stronger than it.”
LATEST HEALTH NEWS
Vulvar cancer is very rare and tends to develop in much older women, usually over the age of 65.
According to Cancer Research UK, 1,300 people are diagnosed with vulvar cancer in the UK each year.
On average each year more than 40 per cent of new cases are in women aged 75 and over.
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