Dad born with rare cancer gets shock diagnosis after disease 'lay dormant' for 40 years
17.06.2023 - 04:03
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A dad born with a rare form of cancer was given a shock diagnosis after 40 years of not knowing he had the disease.
Scott Brown, from Dundee, was diagnosed with Ewing-like sarcoma in March this year after noticing the abnormal growth on his lower left abdomen. The aggressive cancer is usually found in children, however in Scott's highly unusual case, the disease lay dormant in his primitive cells until he was 40 years old.
Barber shop owner Scott explained that he decided to get the lump checked after seeing a friend's Facebook post.
He said: "I was lying on the sofa watching TV and I felt something in my abdomen that wasn't normally there.
"I have an old friend who had something similar and I remember he put up a post on Facebook saying if you find anything to get it checked as soon as possible. It always stuck with me, so I called the doctor the next morning."
Dad-of-two Scott was referred for an ultrasound and an MRI at Ninewells Hospital, which showed he had a tumour. The results were then sent to a Sarcoma specialist in Aberdeen, who gave Scott the devastating news that the mass was cancerous.
He continued: "It didn't feel real - I was completely overwhelmed. My wife Dana was at the appointment with me, but neither of us realised at that moment how much treatment was going to be involved and how rare the cancer was.
"My whole world just changed in a few minutes - it was really hard to get my head around.
“The specialist explained that my tumour was a Ewing-Sarcoma and that I was actually born with the cancer. It is usually diagnosed during childhood, but in some rare cases it can sit in the primitive cells and not come to light until much later - which is what happened to me.
"There’s still isn't alot known about the