**Bristol Woman’s Sore Knee Turns Out to Be Rare Cancer: Misdiagnosed Pain Leads to Shocking Discovery**
A 27-year-old woman from Bristol has opened up about her terrifying ordeal after what she believed to be a harmless sore knee turned out to be a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Lucy Worthington initially ascribed the increasing pain in her right knee to a possible injury sustained during a night out or perhaps from excessive walking. But the reality, as it soon transpired, was far more serious than she could have anticipated.
Lucy first consulted her GP after becoming concerned about persistent discomfort around her knee. She was referred for an x-ray at the time, which came back clear, offering some reassurance. “I thought I’d just knocked it while out drinking or pulled something from walking too much,” she explained. “I never imagined it could be anything more sinister.”
Despite following a prescribed course of physiotherapy for what was thought to be a trapped nerve or muscle strain, Lucy’s pain intensified. After three physio sessions with little improvement—and the sudden appearance of a large lump just above her knee—she grew anxious. The lump, she described, quickly grew to the size of a grapefruit.
When physiotherapists advised her to seek further scans due to the lump’s alarming growth, Lucy returned to her GP, who immediately recognised the situation’s severity. She was swiftly sent for an MRI scan at Bristol Royal Infirmary. The diagnosis was both shocking and unexpected: Lucy was found to have a 14-centimetre sarcoma—a cancerous tumour—rising from her bone.
The news was devastating. “It was a surreal moment,” Lucy recalled. “You’re in your 20s, and you don’t expect to be told you’ve got cancer. I assumed it was something that happened to older people.” She later reflected that even with her growing concerns, needing painkillers such as codeine and morphine, a cancer diagnosis still hadn’t crossed her mind.
Things took a grave turn when, while just sitting on her sofa at home, Lucy’s leg snapped under the pressure of the tumour, a consequence of her now severely weakened bone. Emergency hospitalisation followed, and doctors warned she might lose her leg entirely. “It was terrifying,” she said. “Before surgery, the surgeons didn’t know if they would be able to save my leg.” In what Lucy describes as a scene straight out of a hospital drama, the surgical team managed to avoid amputation. “I remember crying and thanking the surgeon. The thought of losing my leg was so real.”
Lucy’s recovery, however, was far from straightforward. She endured post-surgical sepsis and experienced a difficult response to chemotherapy treatments. She admitted she feared for her life on several occasions, believing she was close to death during her extended hospital stay. The period was filled with uncertainty for both Lucy and her family.
She has since completed her final round of chemotherapy and, although anxious about further scans, says she now feels optimistic about the future. “Finishing chemo was a huge relief. I’m thrilled to be moving forward, but every scan is nerve-wracking. You never know what could happen next,” she said.
Reflecting on her experience, Lucy urges others not to ignore symptoms or dismiss persistent pain—no matter how harmless it might seem. “If the tumour hadn’t broken through the bone, it might have been too late by the time I got help. If you notice any unusual aches, lumps, or night sweats, please get checked—don’t assume it’s nothing.”
Soft tissue sarcomas, the type of cancer Lucy suffered from, are a rare group of cancers that originate in the body’s connective tissues, including muscles and blood vessels. They can often masquerade as more benign musculoskeletal complaints, making early detection challenging.
Lucy’s brave account highlights the vital importance of listening to your body and consulting medical professionals if anything feels amiss. Her experience serves as both a cautionary tale and an inspiring story of resilience for younger adults who might otherwise dismiss persistent pains as everyday injuries.