My cousin died from cancer after doctors downgraded her urgent referral – we need medical reform now
Her family are calling for urgent medical reform for paediatric patients
TRAGIC LOSS My cousin died from cancer after doctors downgraded her urgent referral – we need medical reform now
A TEENAGER died from cancer after doctors downgraded her urgent referral because of her age, her devastated family claims.
Isla Sneddon, 17, passed away on March 2 after a six-month battle with the disease.
The schoolgirl, of Airdrie, first sought help at 14 for painful breast lumps, which were dismissed as benign fibroadenoma in July 2022.
By June 2024, her condition worsened, and GPs suspected cancer, issuing an urgent referral for biopsies.
But the breast clinic downgraded Isla's referral from 'urgent' to 'routine' due to her age, relatives say.
In September 2024, a fast-spreading sarcoma was found on the lining of her heart, which had already spread to her heart, lungs, and lymph nodes.
Her devastated parents, Mark and Michelle, were told Isla had between six and 12 months left to live.
Isla's cousin Mairi McGhee has launched a petition demanding that the Scottish Government treat cancer suspicions in children with the same urgency as adults.
They're also calling for a review of paediatric guidelines to prevent more tragic cases.
Mairi told The Herald: 'We want to make clear that all of the care that Isla received from the doctors and nurses was fantastic.
'The problem we found was that if that referral in June had been placed on a doctor's desk without an age on it, and Isla was seen as urgent, then we could be in a really different place.
'Isla could still be here, she could have had longer.'
The family is also calling for mandatory follow-ups for downgraded referrals, training for clinicians to spot early signs of cancer in children, and a formal review into paediatric diagnostic delays.
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Scotland has one of the highest under-18 mortality rates in Western Europe, with around 45 young people dying every year.
Mairi continued: "We can't see how we can possibly move on.
"It feels like we have been in limbo since the day she died.
"This has been horrific. Even though Isla was given six to 12 months, we all had a lot of hope.
"Isla was determined to the very end, putting on her wig and eyelashes when she got up in the morning.
"She got six months and two days. Her mum and dad bought her prom dress and she was really looking forward to it but she is obviously not going to be there.
"Isla was responding well to chemotherapy. She just took it all in her stride.
"On the day that Isla died, we didn't expect her to die that day. She was unwell with a bit of a cough and doctors thought it may be viral but days later she died.
"It was so quick and unexpected. We didn't expect to not walk back out of the hospital with her."
Scottish Labour's deputy leader slammed Isla's tragic case as 'a scandal' and said her family had been 'badly failed'.
She added: 'Lessons must be learned to ensure no more lives are needlessly lost like this. There must be a review into how cancer referrals for young people are handled so everyone gets the lifesaving treatment they need.'
At FMQs, she challenged First Minister John Swinney to ensure cancer suspicions in children are treated with the same urgency as adults.
Swinney said he would raise the issue with the health secretary and 'pursue it in relation to clinical guidance'.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: 'Our thoughts are with the family of Isla on their loss.
'The Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer have been developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. These guidelines have recently been reviewed with input from clinicians and cancer charities to ensure they are evidence based and help support early identification of cancer.
'To support this a new primary care cancer education platform – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April 2024 in NHS Scotland, supported by NHS Education for Scotland. Gateway C provides innovative, and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making.
'This free online platform is accessible to all primary care clinicians including pharmacists, dentists, and optometrists.'
The petition launched by Isla's family has garnered more than 25,000 signatures.
It can be found here.
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