My diabetes-related thrush turned out to be rare vulval cancer - warning for women to check your genitals

Sharing a powerful video clip (click to play above), Pippa Sharp, 49, explains how she found a sore spot on her labia, which turned out to be cancer. Pippa was experiencing recurring thrush in August 2022, and noticed a hard spot. She was prescribed antibiotics by her GP - but four days later, realised the spot wasn’t going away.

Her doctor referred her for a biopsy which initially revealed stage one vulval cancer, but a scan later showed it had spread to the lymph nodes in her groin. After surgery to remove the mass, 50 rounds of radiotherapy and five rounds of chemotherapy, Pippa is now dealing with a relapse.

‘I was embarrassed at first’

She wants people to know more about the deadly disease, so they can catch it at an earlier stage than she did. Pippa, a former brand innovation and awards co-ordinator, from Leeds, said: “I was embarrassed about vulval cancer at first - but now, I can’t shut up about it. It’s a rare cancer - but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t know about it. This affects more than women over 55 - mandatory checks should be offered alongside the smear.”

Sore patch

After frequent bouts of thrush, Pippa noticed her left labia had developed a small, hard sore patch in August 2022. She initially brushed it off for five months, thinking it was just a symptom of bad thrush. But, during a routine GP appointment on January 6, 2023, she decided to mention it to her doctor - who suggested it could either be an infected cyst, or cancer.

Despite “immediately” believing it was cancer, Pippa agreed to take a course of antibiotics just in case - but there was no change. She had a biopsy on the sore patch, on January 23, 2023 and was then referred to a consultant who told her she likely had stage one vulval cancer.

Stage 3 cancer

But she wouldn’t know the full extent until after her surgery to remove the mass, in March 2023. She said: “They found it had spread to lymph nodes around my groin. I was then told I had stage 3a cancer - I didn’t want to ask about the prognosis, or survival rates.”

After surgery, Pippa underwent further treatment - 50 rounds of daily radiotherapy, and five rounds of chemotherapy. She also had to soak her vulval wound in a sitz bath - a warm “bath” that wraps around a toilet - filled with betadine, an antiseptic.

Swelling came back

She was discharged, but in January 2024, she began to feel her labia had swollen again. Tests revealed the cancer had spread to two more areas - Pippa’s right labia, and her “back passage”. On March 22, 2024, she had part of her right labia removed - and was referred to the treatment doctor in June.

She said: “We talk so much about how we need to check our breasts. But we should be checking our vulvas regularly, too. It’s a quick check when you go to the toilet, or when you’re laying in bed. Feel around for soreness, lumps and bumps - note if you find any unusual discharge. Always go to see your GP if you’re worried.

“You may be embarrassed for a few moments, but that 10-minute appointment could be the difference between finding it’s nothing - or catching cancer early.”