Parents say cancer care delays cost daughter time

The parents of a woman who died from a rare cancer say delays in her diagnosis and treatment may have affected how long she lived.

Francesca Vincent, from Wokingham, who was described as "the life and soul of the party", died from soft tissue Ewing sarcoma in July 2024 at the age of 35.

Her parents, Sharon and Peter Vincent, have called for improvements to care, saying Francesca experienced multiple delays despite a clear deterioration in her condition.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said aspects of Francesca's care could have been improved and apologised to the family.

Francesca first sought medical help for stomach pain in January 2023. After attending the accident and emergency department at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, she was initially told she may have gallstones.

In February, a scan identified a lesion on her pancreas. Her family said they were told it could be malignant, but that it was about a month before a biopsy was carried out.

They said she was told she would need to be treated at a specialist cancer centre in Oxford, but was not immediately referred.

Later that month, Francesca's condition worsened and she was admitted to hospital, where she spent 14 nights on a ward and one in intensive care.

She was diagnosed with soft tissue Ewing sarcoma in March 2023 and, according to her mother, was initially told the cancer was inoperable and she would not be able to receive chemotherapy.

"There were many delays while she deteriorated in front of them once she was on a ward," said her mother, Sharon.

"She was admitted twice previously and discharged even though she had a large mass on her pancreas...

"It's absolutely about accountability. That's all we want."

Francesca was later transferred to the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, where she began treatment.

Her family said the tumour shrank from 20cm to 4cm following chemotherapy.

They said she showed remarkable strength throughout her illness and remained positive, returning to work in early 2024 and moving closer to her parents.

But in June, she was told the cancer had spread to her liver and restarted chemotherapy.

She died the following month while in hospital.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said it had carried out a review into Francesca's care and identified learning points.

Helen Stradling, from Sarcoma UK, said: "Unfortunately, we hear cases like Francesca's more often than we would like.

"Sarcoma is difficult to diagnose and symptoms can be quite vague in nature. The earlier we can get people diagnosed, the better their outcomes."

Sarcoma accounts for about 1% of all cancer diagnoses in the UK.

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.