AFTER suffering a persistent cough for years, Karen Fairman was diagnosed with the same rare form of lung cancer the BBC journalist Nick Robinson is undergoing treatment for. She speaks to health reporter Kate Liptrot.

FOR five years Karen Fairman lived with a dry, persistent cough.

While others picked up on it, it became something she barely registered and assumed that as a non-smoker was nothing serious.

By 2012 the mum-of-two had begun to feel under the weather but assumed it was as a result of working hard to finish her dissertation as a mature student at York St John University.

"I have never smoked. People used to comment on my cough and ask if it was a smoker's cough," Karen said, "But I didn't even think about it, I thought it was just one of those things."

After a series of chest infections, and when she began to suffer chest pains, Karen, 50, was taken into A&E and was given a chest X-ray which revealed a coin shaped lesion in her right lung.

An emergency CT scan showed shadows in both lungs and - following a lengthy diagnostic process - Karen was diagnosed with having carcinoid tumours of the lungs.

They are a form of cancer known as neuroendocrine, the same rare form of cancer the BBC's Nick Robinson, also a non smoker, has been diagnosed with. The 51-year-old journalist, is due to have an operation to remove a bronchial carcinoid tumour from his lung, it has been reported.

Neuroendocrine tumours form on the endocrine system, a network of glands and cells throughout the body that produces hormones and can be found elsewhere in the body, mainly the intestines, the pancreas and the appendix, with some 2000 people diagnosed a year.

The rarity of the cancer - and the misguided perception it is almost harmless is why Karen believes it took her so long to get a diagnosis when she was referred to a hospital near to her hometown in the north east.

Following surgery to remove on of the three tumours her doctor wrote the word "carcinoid" on a piece of paper and told her that is what she had but not to worry because "it isn't cancer".

An internet search suggested otherwise, and when Karen saw her GP they confirmed she did have cancer. Carcinoids are rare tumours which tend to be slow growing. They may not cause any symptoms for several years, according to Cancer Research.

Armed with this knowledge Karen secured a referral to a neuroendocrine expert at the Royal Free Hospital in London and her concerns were confirmed as the specialist said one of the remaining two tumours measured 1.9cm across and at 2cm the cancer tends to spread throughout the body.

Both were classed as ‘atypical’, which means they are faster growing and more likely to spread.

Cathy Bouvier, director of of the Net Patient Foundation, said: "Many lung NETs (neuroendocrine tumours) are found incidentally when someone is having a radiological procedure for something else. If symptoms are present then they may be recurrent chest infections, cough, chest pain, wheezing, dyspnea and haemoptysis.

"Patients are normally 40 to 60-years-old when diagnosed, but they are diagnosed in children and late adolescents also. The time to diagnosis can be anything from two months to years."

Karen underwent major surgery to remove the remaining tumours at the Royal Brompton Hospital and she was found to have tiny tumours throughout her lungs. They are now controlled with monthly hormone injections and Karen will continue to be monitored for the rest of her life.

She has retired from her work as an occupational therapist due to her illness which can leave her feeling breathless and tired.

"It affects your life but I'm here and I'm glad of that, she said, "I used to be going at 100 miles an hour looking after everybody, now sometimes people have to look after me.

"I get up everyday and take it as it come.

"People say I look so well they wouldn't realise... other than the scars on my back people wouldn't know. Perhaps because it's not as obvious as other forms of cancer people don't take the condition as seriously as they might."

Following her last operation, Karen returned to university to complete her degree in occupational therapy and graduated at a ceremony attended by her family at York Minster in November.

"I just think every day I wake up is a bonus. Before I would worry about small things that now I just don't even think about.

"I have been forced into a slower pace of life. But every cloud has a silver lining and I've had a few - I was lucky to be referred to a specialist and been given the best treatment possible, and I'm lucky that now I have time to enjoy life and smell the roses."


Fact file

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are a complex group of tumours that develop predominantly in the digestive or respiratory tracts, but can occur in many areas of the body.

These tumours arise from cells called neuroendocrine cells. Like all cancers, NETs develop when the specialised cells undergo changes causing them to divide uncontrollably and grow into an abnormal tissue mass (tumour).

Neuroendocrine tumours can be benign or malignant. Back in 1907, when neuroendocrine tumours were first classified, they were named ‘carcinoid’ (meaning ‘cancer-like’) as they seemed to grow slowly and were therefore not thought to be truly cancerous.

The use of the term ‘carcinoid’ is being phased out in medical literature, as we now know that these tumours can be malignant.

Many NETs have an associated syndrome caused when the neuroendocrine cells produce too much of a particular hormone.

The most common of these is ‘carcinoid syndrome’, which is caused when too many hormones are produced.

The symptoms of carcinoid syndrome vary and can often be highly individual.

Typical symptoms include:

• flushing

• diarrhoea

• wheezing

• abdominal pain

• fatigue

• skin changes