A newlywed cancer counsellor from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, was told by doctors that her persistent itching 'downstairs' was due to menopause, only to be diagnosed with an ultra-rare and incurable form of cancer. Jo Shaw Pyke, 48, had been experiencing itching and pain for 18 months before discovering a tumour.
Jo, who works as a counsellor for Cancer Connections, said she repeatedly contacted her GP about the symptoms, which began in 2022. She was prescribed multiple courses of antibiotics and told it was menopause-related. The issue escalated after she married in September 2023.
In December 2023, after insisting on a gynaecologist referral, Jo found an 8cm lump on her vulva. She was diagnosed with vulvar mucosal melanoma, a cancer that affects mucous membranes and accounts for only about 1% of melanoma cases. The tumour was removed surgically in January 2024.
The surgery left her with stitches that opened and became infected, meaning she could not sit down for nearly three and a half months. A biopsy later confirmed the cancer had returned. Jo is now undergoing immunotherapy, though success rates are low.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend to raise money for TIL therapy abroad, which is not readily available in the UK. Jo, who has never encountered this type of cancer in her 13 years of counselling, hopes to access potentially life-saving treatment.
