Doctors said my itchy lump was just a fungal infection - but it was cancer

An electrician whose itchy lump was initially dismissed as a simple fungal infection is now battling cancer .

In February 2020, Ben Collins, 24, from Colchester, Essex, discovered a lump in his right breast which, after a biopsy, was found to be 'just a fatty lump'.

But Doctors then noticed another lump on his back, which was itchy and red and looked like a 'gnat bite', however they thought it was just ringworm — a common fungal infection — or an allergic reaction to his tattoos.

But in March 2021 after several biopsies, he was eventually diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma — cancer of the lymphatic system.

He has since undergone seven rounds of radiotherapy to 'blast' the lumps, but these journeys to and from Guy's Hospital in London have cost him and his family around £3,000 in total over three years.

He is now campaigning alongside a charity for better financial support for young people with cancer to attend their medical appointments.

Recalling the lump on his back, Mr Collins said: 'It was probably about a centimetre in diameter, so it looked like a gnat bite or a spot.

'It was red and raised and it was itchy as well.'

Doctors thought it was ringworm and he was prescribed steroids as a treatment, but this didn't resolve it.

Another medic then suggested it could be an allergic reaction to his tattoos.

'I contacted my tattoo artist, asking him to send me all the ingredients that were in the ink that he uses, and then I forwarded that to the doctor,' he said.

'That crossed out any lines from it being related to the tattoos.'

With the lump persisting, Mr Collins then underwent biopsies at Colchester Hospital, and this led to his cancer in March 2021, aged just 21.

He was specifically diagnosed with marginal zone lymphoma — a rare, slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

This cancer affects the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.

In the UK, more than 13,000 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma every year, according to the NHS.

But marginal zone lymphoma affects fewer than two in every 100 cases and it is most common in people over 50, Lymphoma action explains.

The most common symptom is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.

'It was awful because I was expecting it to be an allergy, an allergic reaction to some tattoos that I'd had — that was the worst case scenario and they might have to cut out some tattoos,' Mr Collins said.

'I was told: "You'll essentially have the lymphoma for life, unless it gets bad enough that we have to treat you with chemotherapy".

'At that age, you don't expect to even contemplate a diagnosis like that... and when you hear the word "cancer", instantly you always think the worst.'

He was referred to Guy's Hospital six weeks after his biopsy results, where further tests confirmed his diagnosis, and he was told he would need to undergo radiotherapy.

Mr Collins explained that he initially 'blocked everything out' and that his diagnosis felt 'surreal' for weeks.

'My girlfriend and I were sitting in bed, watching The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, and every single advert was, "One in two of us will be affected by cancer in our lifetime",' he said.

'It really hit hard at that point.'

Mr Collins's first round of radiotherapy started in June 2021, where the affected areas were 'blasted with radiation', causing the cancer to 'shrink and disappear'.

He said it was 'daunting' but the treatment itself only lasted around six minutes — and every subsequent treatment lasting a similar time or shorter.

'You don't feel anything when you're having the treatment, but a few days later, it will be warm to the touch,' Mr Collins explained.

'After a couple of weeks, the areas will get red and they constantly come up tanned.'

Mr Collins has had a total of seven rounds of radiotherapy, each time necessitating a long journey from his home in Colchester to London.

Along with the charity Young Lives vs Cancer, Mr Collins is calling for better financial support towards travel costs for young people with cancer.

'Some people have to travel for hours to get to a specialist hospital and some families don't have the money to be able to do that,' Mr Collins said.

'It's surprising how many people can't afford to get to cancer treatment.'

According to Young Lives vs Cancer, young people and their families have to pay an extra £700 a month on average on costs like travel, food and clothing while going through treatment.

The charity is calling on the Government to introduce a £10 million Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund so young people and families have the support to travel to their treatment.

For Mr Collins, he said with train tickets for him and his mother and petrol and parking costs, it 'easily' costs him more than £400 every time he has a round of treatment.

He believes he has spent around £3,000 on travel costs to date.

'I've got a credit card that I've had to put all the costs on and then you slowly pay it off, but some people can't afford to do that,' he said.

'So, some people either have to go without the treatment or they might not be able to put the heating on that week.'

Mr Collins said his diagnosis 'plays' on his mind as lumps continue to appear, but he tries to remain positive.

While he admitted to comfort eating following his cancer diagnosis he has since take up running in a bid to improve his health and wellbeing.

Competing in several Nuclear Races and the 2023 Ipswich Half Marathon have helped him lose four stone since May.