Doctors Mistook a Woman's Cancer Symptoms for Depression and Menopause for Two Years 0 7

A resident of the United Kingdom, Karen Tate, began experiencing flu-like symptoms and was found to have cancer. Her story was reported by People.

According to the 57-year-old woman, she initially had fever, pain, sweating, and fatigue. A few weeks after the first signs of illness, her vision became blurry, and she found it difficult to focus or look at bright lights, or to lift her head. "I developed increased sensitivity to smells and noise, and gradually my legs began to hurt so much that I was confined to bed. One day I went to sleep and didn’t get up for two years," the British woman said.

For two years, doctors attributed the alarming symptoms that Tate complained about to fibromyalgia, and later to depression and menopause. Only in November 2024, during a scheduled MRI related to her past vaginal cancer, was a brain tumor — a meningioma — discovered.

In February 2025, surgeons performed an operation on Tate, during which they successfully removed most of the tumor. A biopsy showed that it was benign. She now undergoes regular check-ups to monitor the tumor's growth.