Woman discovered she had 'killer cancer' after dismissing 'unbearable' itch for years

A woman believes she would have never developed cancer had her rare skin condition been diagnosed earlier.

Lorna Riley from Cheshire, UK, started presenting symptoms of lichen sclerosus (LS) as a child, but her symptoms were dismissed for thrush on numerous occasions.

LS can develop on any part of the skin, but it's most common on the genital area and is thought to affect one in 100 women.

According to Mayo Clinic, symptoms of the condition include: smooth discolored skin patches, blotchy and wrinkled skin patches, itching, soreness or a burning feeling, easy bruising, fragile skin, changes in the tube for urine flow, bleeding, blistering or open sores, and painful sex.

The healthcare site advises that if you've been diagnosed with LS that you go see your doctor every six to 12 months to monitor the condition – but Lorna couldn't do that as it wasn't until she was 35 years old that she finally received the diagnosis.

The British woman suffered years of discomfort before being diagnosed with lichen sclerosus (Getty Stock)

Discussing what life was like before her diagnosis, Lorna told The Sun: "My mom took me to the doctor after I flat-out refused to wear woollen tights because they made me so itchy."

She added: "Throughout my childhood, I suffered in silence and shame with this terrible itch that quietly drove me round the bend."

Lorna got her long-awaited diagnosis of LS in 2014.

"I was a pharmacist and even I had no idea what lichen sclerosus was," she said of how uneducated some healthcare providers are about the condition. "It’s massively underdiagnosed and often mistaken for recurring thrush, exactly like mine was."

A few years after she was told she had LS, Lorna developed vulval cancer. It's said that around 7,100 people are diagnosed with vulval cancer in the US each year, per the American Cancer Society.

She'd found a lump that was the 'size of a lentil and hard to touch' on her inner labia in 2022 – something she said made her LS symptoms even worse.

More than 7,000 people are diagnosed with vulval cancer each year (Getty Stock)

In April 2023, surgeons were able to remove the cancerous tissue in Lorna's vulva.

Fortunately the cancer hadn't spread and she's now cancer free. Lorna believes that she may have never developed cancer had her LS been discovered sooner.

"I honestly don’t believe I would ever have developed cancer if my lichen sclerosus had been picked up earlier," the 47-year-old said.

"Once I was diagnosed with cancer, I was given a much stronger steroid cream. There’s strong evidence to suggest that regular treatment with a high-strength steroid cream can stop lichen sclerosus turning into cancer in the first place."

With her experiences in mind, Lorna is urging other women trust their instinct when it comes to their health and never ignore gynecological symptoms.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.