Man diagnosed with life-threatening cancer after having seemingly harmless symptoms for years

An unrelated injury led to a man receiving a devastating cancer diagnosis - but he'd long been suffering from symptoms.

Brian had an injury at work last year, which resulted in the 40-year-old breaking his hand and injuring his shoulder.

As he recovered, Brian suffered constant pain in his shoulder and armpit, so he requested an X-ray.

The scan revealed a lung mass and initially doctors thought it might just be a bruise or possibly bronchitis; however, extensive testing found that it was something much more serious.

In December 2024, Brian was diagnosed with limited-stage small cell lung cancer.

Brian received his cancer diagnosis at the end of last year (YouTube/The Patient Story)

As per the American Cancer Society, 'limited-stage' in this instance means that 'the cancer is only on one side of the chest and can be treated with a single radiation field'.

"This generally includes cancers that are only in one lung, and that might also have reached the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest," it adds.

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But Brian had been experiencing symptoms before noticing the pain in his shoulder and armpit.

"I'd been having this heartburn for years," he said in a YouTube clip shared to The Patient Story.

"I went to the emergency room a couple of times and I was sure [that] I had cancer, but they assured me that I didn't."

Brian had feared for some time that he might have cancer (The Patient Story)

Instead, doctors believed it was gastroesophageal reflux disease.

"That was like three years ago when I went in," Brian went on to say in a recent vlog update. "That was the only sign."

"I was doing really heavy work," he further shared. "I was taking 25,000 steps a day, exerting myself and doing a lot of heavy stuff and I felt fine."

In the wake of his diagnosis, Brian has to undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

His treatment involves three consecutive days of treatment followed by 21 days off, and he undergoes radiation therapy twice a day for five days a week, says The Patient Story.

Despite the intensity of his therapy, Brian's been fortunate and has only experienced fatigue and flu-like symptoms.

Other more debilitating side effects of chemotherapy include temporary hair loss, blood clots, being sick, and problems with memory and concentration, NHS England explains on its website.

Meanwhile, some side effects of radiotherapy are sore skin, tiredness, hair loss, and problems eating and drinking.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.