Family of twin, 27, who died from rare form of cancer say she was misdiagnosed by doctors FIVE times and had treatment delayed because of Covid
- Latifiah Molyneaux King, 27, complained of severe leg pain ahead of her death
- Medics misdiagnosed her rare epithelioid cancer repeatedly before her death
- Her family believes the Covid-19 pandemic may have delayed her diagnosis
A young woman has died aged 27 after her family claim she was wrongly diagnosed five times before doctors realised she had a rare form of cancer.
When Latifah Molyneaux King, 27, first started suffering from severe leg pain seven months ago, her family claim she wasn't taken seriously and was misdiagnosed with a water infection, sciatica, lymphoma, tuberculosis, and skin cancer.
She was finally diagnosed last month with a rare soft tissue cancer called epithelioid sarcoma but died a week later on February 10. The family believes the Covid-19 pandemic may have delayed the correct identification of the disease.
The 'selfless and bubbly' woman from Leicester, East Midlands, left behind 13 siblings including her twin sister Shanika.
Ms Molyneaux King's family are 'disgusted' by the healthcare services as they caused unnecessary delays due to the pandemic.
Latifah Molyneaux King, 27, pictured, first complained of leg pain seven months ago, but medics failed to diagnose a rare type of cancer until a week before her death on February 10
Ms Molyneaux King, pictured with her mother Lizzie Molyneaux, 53, was told she may have had several other illnesses, including TB ahead of the correct diagnosis
Ms Moyneaux King, left, pictured kissing her twin sister Shanika, right, had been trying for a baby before her cancer diagnosis
Her heartbroken mum Lizzie Molyneaux, 53, said: 'Latifah began to feel unwell at the start of last year - her legs were hurting a lot.
'In June, she developed lumps in her legs and was extremely bloated which prompted her to call the GP.
'My daughter knew her own body yet every time she called the doctors, she was fobbed off.
'She must have rung the doctors 20 times between June and November last year.
'A lot of the time she was didn't even make it into the practice and they diagnosed her over the phone.
'First, she was told the lumps are abscesses and she has a water infection.
'She was walking a lot during the lockdown as she was trying to lose weight to have a baby with her partner Aydan.
'She was losing weight so we thought the dieting and walking must be working but in hindsight, it was cancer.
Ms Molyneaux King, right, pictured with her twin sister's son Omari, left, was trying to lose weight with a view of becoming pregnant
'The leg pain got worse in November and she was diagnosed with sciatica.'
Family orientated Latifah became bed-bound, and the codeine prescribed wasn't taking away the pain.
Mrs Molyneux claims that she continued to call her GP and ambulance services but says she was offered no further treatment.
Her family realised how sick Ms Molyneaux King was when she opted against celebrating Christmas with them.
Mrs Molyneaux was shocked to discover her daughter had dropped four stone and urged her to seek medical help.
She adds: 'My heart broke when I saw her.
'I feel like she was dismissed for months because she is young, and they thought she was exaggerating.
'If the doctor had seen her face to face, he would have known something was wrong.
'I instantly knew it was something bad.'
At the start of January, Ms Molyneaux King went to the hospital where they carried out a scan on her hip.
Doctors told Ms Molyneaux King that she had lymphoma, skin cancer and TB before arriving at the correct diagnosis of epithelioid sarcoma.
Her twin sister Shanika said: 'It was horrible seeing my sister deteriorate.
'She was so full of life before then she became scrambled.
'The lump in her neck was lymphoma so we had some hope as we read it is a curable condition.
'But then found excess fluid on her chest so they said it was TB.
'It was a lot of messing around and waiting for answers without any treatment.
'She was diagnosed too late.'
Ms Molyneaux King died at home with her family.
Her mother added: 'Her final few days were heart-wrenching - she was in so much pain.
Ms Molyneaux King, pictured, lost weight during 2020. Her family now believe that weight loss was due to her cancer, which they claim was missed because Covid-19 restrictions
'I felt horrible seeing my baby scream in agony and I couldn't help her.
'If she was taken seriously last year, this may have been prevented - she could have had another year or two with us.'
Ms Molyneaux King's sister Deniem, 24, said: 'Words can't describe how broken we are without her.
'She was the most loving person ever - she would do anything for any of us.
'She spoilt all of us at Christmas and birthdays and treated our ten nieces and nephews as her own children.
'She was especially close to Shanika's son Omari, five - who is autistic - they were planning a trip to Turkey.
'He has told his little brother Romai, three, that she is an angel in heaven now.
'We are all devastated.
'We hope her story can prevent this from happening to other families.'
A spokesperson for Leicester's Hospitals said: 'We offer our deepest condolences to Latifah's family. We encourage them to contact us and the other NHS organisations involved directly to enable the concerns they raise to be investigated.'
What is epithelioid sarcoma?
Epithelioid sarcoma is an incredibly rare form of soft tissue cancer found most often under the skin of a finger, hand, forearm, lower leg or foot.
The slow-growing cancer starts as a painless, small, firm growth. It can also present as an ulcer which refuses to heal.
The disease is difficult to diagnose because it can be confused with other illnesses which have similar symptoms.
Epithelioid sarcoma is an incredibly rare form of soft tissue cancer
Patients who develop epithelioid sarcoma normally require surgery but other treatments might be required.
Medics can use MRI or CT scans to inspect the lump, though biopsies are also used.
A pathologist can determine whether the the sample is cancerous and if the tumour is aggressive.
If a sample is cancerous, a surgeon will often remove the cancer along with some of the surrounding healthy tissue. In some cases, the surgeon will amputate the affected limb.
Patients can also receive radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
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