A 42-year-old woman was misdiagnosed with endometriosis, and the truth cost her nine organs in a single surgery

Claire Gerring is now living with no evidence of cancer after surgeons removed nine organs to treat a ruptured tumour that doctors initially mistook for a reproductive health issue. The 42-year-old mother of two from Oxfordshire first sought help for excruciating pain in her right side, and doctors began investigating it as suspected endometriosis. As reported by LADbible, symptoms like abdominal bloating and pain are often mistaken for reproductive issues, which delayed the real diagnosis.

The path to an accurate diagnosis took multiple tests over time. A positive Faecal Immunochemical Test led doctors to perform a colonoscopy, which revealed that Claire’s appendix was inverted. Further investigations found malignant tissue growing on the organ, leading to a diagnosis of stage four Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, an extremely rare cancer often called “jelly belly” that typically starts in the appendix.

According to Cancer Research UK, the condition spreads differently than most cancers, staying within the abdomen rather than moving through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Tumour cells produce a mucus called mucin that coats the abdominal organs, causing swelling and pain rather than the weight loss associated with many other cancers. Claire said she simply believed she had reached her 40s and was experiencing some midlife weight gain.

The surgery required removing nine of her organs

Once her diagnosis was confirmed, Claire was referred to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, one of only two facilities in the UK that specialize in treating the condition. Doctors found that her tumour had already ruptured, meaning the cancer had spread throughout her abdomen, which required a 10-hour operation.

Surgeons removed her appendix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, gallbladder, spleen, uterus, cervix, greater omentum, belly button, and peritoneum lining, along with parts of her liver and bowel. Delayed diagnoses tied to dismissed symptoms have drawn attention in other recent cases, including a misdiagnosed stomach cancer case where a young woman’s pain was initially written off before doctors found a tumour.

Claire called it “the mother of all surgeries” given the scale of the intervention, and said she felt scared and alone after her diagnosis since the condition is not widely known. She credited the specialist team for knowing exactly how to handle such a complex case. Concerns about symptoms being dismissed before a serious diagnosis have also come up amid a teen’s brain tumor case, where persistent headaches were initially treated as migraines.

Nearly a year on, Claire has no evidence of disease in her body, though she will need monitoring for the next 20 years to watch for recurrence. Her recovery has included a 10-day hospital stay for a bowel obstruction, but she maintains a positive outlook, saying doctors describe it as never going back to your old self, just getting used to the new one.

Claire has since raised £16,002 for the charity Pseudomyxoma Survivor through fundraising events including a masked ball, and the charity’s trustee, Maddy Lomas, called her efforts commendable. Anyone affected by these issues can reach the Macmillan Cancer Support Line, which operates from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, seven days a week.