Durham pharmacist runs again after rare cancer took thigh muscle

Durham pharmacist Claire Humphries was massaging away leg pain when she discovered a lump the size of an ostrich egg that would change everything. Claire, 62, had been looking forward to holidays she had booked with her family in India and South America – but her world was turned upside down when she was told she had a very rare cancer.

A keen runner and cyclist, she had felt some pain at the top of her left thigh, especially in bed. She started to massage her leg one day when she felt a lump near her groin about the size of an ostrich egg.

Her GP referred Claire for an ultrasound scan. The lump was quickly diagnosed as myxoid liposarcoma – there are just 72 cases in the UK each year. Medics at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle told Claire to cancel her holidays.

Claire, who is married to Graeme, said: “The hardest thing was telling my two sons, that was heartbreaking. It felt like I’d let people down. The holiday to India with my husband and the trip to South America with my sister had to be cancelled.” Of sarcoma, she said: “It was the last thing I would think of at night and the first thing I’d think about when I woke up.”

She had 25 treatments of radiotherapy, which significantly shrank the tumour. This was followed by surgery, which removed all traces of the cancer but also left her without the sartorius muscle in her thigh.

Despite that, Claire, who currently has regular scans to check the cancer has not returned, is back to being active. “You can’t dwell on it too much, you have to be positive,” she said. “It feels like looking into a black hole and that you might fall into it. Cancer is not the end of the world now and you can live with it successfully.”

With that positive mindset, Claire, who works as a pharmacist at a GP surgery, is taking part in the Great North Run on 7 September for charity Sarcoma UK.

She is keen to increase awareness of sarcoma – six decades ago, her cousin was diagnosed with sarcoma aged 11 and had a leg amputated before she died. In addition, a good friend who lives less than a mile away had an identical sarcoma diagnosis as Claire last year and provided constant support. It was that friend who introduced her to Sarcoma UK.

Claire thanks their “invaluable” Support Line team for spotting a mix-up with her treatment. She had been told by a health care professional that she would be given chemotherapy. She said: “I rang the Support Line and they explained that chemo is not usually the treatment for my subtype. They gave me the confidence to challenge this and told me to create an audit trail.”

After querying what she had been told, Claire was contacted by a member of the hospital’s sarcoma team who confirmed she would instead be having radiotherapy. The Support Line team also advised Claire on how to manage her radiotherapy. “The Sarcoma UK nurses knew and understood what I was going through and offered practical support. They provided robust, accurate information, but they were also very caring.”

Sarcoma UK’s Head of Support and Healthcare Professional Engagement Service, Helen Stradling, said: "We're so pleased we could provide Claire with the information she needed to have informed discussions with her medical team. Claire's case highlights why our support line exists - to provide patients and families with access to specialist knowledge about sarcoma. We never want to replace medical advice, but we can help people ask the right questions and understand their options. Every patient deserves to feel confident about their treatment plan, and we're here to help people navigate what can be a very complex and overwhelming time. Claire showed real courage in speaking up, and we're delighted she got the treatment that was right for her specific cancer type. Her decision to run for us in the Great North Run is incredibly inspiring and will help us continue supporting other patients facing similar challenges."

To donate to Claire, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/claire-humphries-1