Mum-of-two, 26, died of skin cancer after GP ‘told her mole was nothing to worry about’
AN NHS worker and mum-of-two has died of skin cancer at just 26 after her GP told her the mole on her back was nothing to worry about.
Zoe Panayi died just 55 days after being told that the mole was malignant and the disease had spread.
Her family say she had been concerned about the blemish for years but that her doctor twice told her not to be concerned.
Now her mum, Eileen Punter, has called for skin tags and moles to be taken more seriously as she felt her daughter was "not listened to properly".
Ms Panayi was a keen netballer, Irish dancer and horse rider and had worked in care homes before landing her dream job as a radiography assistant at St Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight.
She balanced work with caring for her two kids, Theo-Jay, seven, and Tobias, five.
Ms Punter said she was charged £195 at a private clinic to have her daughter's mole removed after her GP suggested cosmetic removal and allegedly told her it was nothing to worry about.
She said the GP had twice been asked about her daughter's mole, in 2017 and 2018.
She is now considering making complaints against the GP and the beauty clinic.
With the help of one of Zoe’s friends she is starting a petition calling for the the testing of all moles removed to be standard practice at private clinics.
She said: "At the end of the day I just want people to be more aware. Don't be fobbed off over moles and skin tags. Ask for a second opinion. It is about saving lives.
"We would also like all GPs and medical centres to take this far more seriously than they do, again by having the moles all tested and checked properly and referred to the hospitals and not beauty clinics.
"This has been the hardest 55 days of our lives. Zoe never complained while suffering as she did not want to cause upset to her family. She always thought of everyone before herself.
"We did everything we should by reporting the mole as soon as it changed in appearance, which we did twice, and feel that as Zoe was young, 26, she was not listened to properly and made to feel she was wasting the doctor's time."
Skin cancer: What are the signs and symptoms?
NHS England says that it's important that if you notice a change in shape or size of a mole, freckle or skin patch, then you must consult your GP.
Early detection of skin cancer makes it easy to treat.
What should I look out for?
Colour: if the colour of a mole or freckle has changed and there is more than one shade on the area
Symmetry: when two side of the are don't look the same
Size: if the area grows larger
Border: if the edges of the area are jagged or uneven
Other signs to be aware of include:
If a spot or mole itches or hurts
A mole or growth that bleeds, crusts or scabs
A new growth that doesn't heal
On April 3, Ms Panayi went to work as normal in the morning to St Mary's. She felt sick and had a temperature at work and was sent home.
Her mum said: "I took Zoe back to hospital about 11.30pm that night as the pain in her side was so bad.
"At A and E they thought firstly that she may have contracted Covid-19 as she had been scanning some patients with it, or even had sepsis or a gallbladder infection.
"They did an ultrasound scan and kept Zoe in overnight.
"The next morning, her boss, Graham, carried out the CT scan and then had to deliver the bad news Zoe’s liver was full of cancer."
Ms Panayi went back into hospital on April 6 to have biopsies, and four days later she was told the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, liver, bone marrow in her spine, pelvis and spleen.
She was seen by an oncologist in Portsmouth the following week and was told it was stage four melanoma and it was terminal.
Immunotherapy treatment started the following week but she reacted badly to it and she was transferred to a hospice so her pain could be managed.
Most read in Health News
Dr Michele Legg, GP and clinical chair of NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “I am sad to learn about this case and my thoughts go out to her friends and family at what must be such a difficult time.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“If you are concerned about a new or existing mole then you can get more advice by searching ‘mole’ on .
“If you notice a change in a new or existing mole then you should contact your GP as soon as possible.”
