Sian Ashcroft, a 35-year-old mom of three, received cancer diagnosis of terminal cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in 2024. Doctors only gave her months to live, but sadly, she passed away just 18 days later, leaving her entire family in shock.
Cholangiocarcinoma represents an aggressive malignancy that originates from the biliary epithelium, both inside and outside the liver.
This cancer has a “dismal” five-year survival rate of between 2-9% compared to the England average for all cancers which is 54%, as per CCA charity AMMF.
In the case of Ashcroft, the first red flag something wasn’t right was her unusual iron deficiency. In order to address the issue, she got some iron medications. However, a couple of months later, in August 2023, she started experiencing abdominal pain.
At first, she suspected food poisoning, but as the pain intensified, she visited a doctor who suspected gallstones.
Ashcroft was admitted for a gallbladder surgery, but during a follow-up appointment, she was told she had a lesion on her liver.
Her cancer diagnosis didn’t come right away, but around two months later, according to her mom, Sue Dowling.
Speaking to BBC, Dowling said, “Sian’s prognosis was an incredible shock for everyone. She had become increasingly poorly, with frequent visits to her GP and time spent in hospital, but her diagnosis came too late to save her.”
As per CCA charity AMMF, this form of cancer is “difficult to diagnose accurately and early” which reduces the chances for surgery, the only potential cure that exists at the moment.
AMMF chief executive Helen Morement said that in many instances, patients do not match the typical “characteristics”profile” of someone with liver cancer.
“Unlike the other more well-known type of liver cancer, there isn’t an established link to liver cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, alcohol or other lifestyle factors,” she said.
According to the NHS, symptoms include “feeling tired, having a high temperature, skin turning yellow (jaundice), loss of appetite, feeling sick and abdominal pain.”
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