Woman who thought she was bloated had 2.2kg tumour inside her

Claire Lupton was shocked to discover that the cause of her pain was in fact a 2.2kg tumour in her abdomen known as a sarcoma.

Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of rare cancers affecting the tissues that connect, support and surround other body structures and organs. 

The 40-year-old from Southampton was first diagnosed with the condition in 2017 and underwent successful treatment to remove a lump in her right forearm. 

But in the autumn of 2020, Claire was suffering from severe side pain.

This led to the discovery of the tumour which was not noticeable for a ‘very long time’ and Claire initially thought was just bloating.

The tumour removed from Claire's abdomen (Image: Claire Lupton)

“It grew inside me without any knowledge, and I had no symptoms for a long time," she explained.

“It wasn't until I had some pain, which got me to go and check it out as there was nothing for me to identify before then."

By the time of her operation at Southampton General Hospital in December 2020, her 'belly felt really big and round', she said.

As the tumour had grown during the Covid-19 lockdowns, her extended family and friends did not see how her body had changed.

She said: “The pain was the worst bit as the tumour was pressing against my organs as it got bigger.”

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The tumour was removed at Southampton General Hospital in December 2020 during an operation where Claire could have lost her life.

She said: “I had the tumour, which weighed 2.2kg, removed, but the surgery was horrific because it was during Covid.

"My partner dropped me off to the hospital not knowing if he would pick me up again.

“It was like the end of the world as one of the risks with the surgery was that I may not wake up.

“It was terrifying.”

Claire (second from the left) with her nurses (Image: Claire Lupton)

Surgeons also removed one of Claire’s kidneys to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.

But sadly, one year later, three new tumours were found in Claire’s body.

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Claire is now dedicated to raising awareness of sarcoma – cancers which can affect any part of the body.

According to Sarcoma UK, nine in 10 members of the public do not know what sarcoma is, despite 5,300 people a year being diagnosed with these cancers.

Claire said: “I have an idea of where the tumours are, but I don’t want to know.

“There is no cure for me, this is something I have to live with now.

“I have a great quality of life – I love living.

“My cancer is under control, and I am handling the chemotherapy. I don’t go into my life expectancy as that’s not my mindset.”

To find out more about sarcoma and the signs to look out for, visit https://sarcoma.org.uk/size/