Stage 4 Breast Cancer Survivor Reveals Her First Symptom Was ‘Back Pain’

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35-year-old Bisma Lalji, who survived stage 4 breast cancer, life was fun till her diagnosis. Bisma was given the devastating cancer results in February 2023, despite believing that she led a healthy and fit life. Within two months, the deadly disease had spread to her bones in the upper body. It all began when Bisma started having back pain, which she initially ignored. However, when it became persistent, she thought it was stress-related and went to see a doctor. While Bisma was doing fairly well in her job, she was also indulging in odd working hours - pulling all-nighters, drinking cups of coffee, compromising on sleep.

First sign of breast cancer

“It was a Wednesday. I was on a work Zoom and literally out of nowhere started having excruciating back pain,” Bisma recalled in a reel she made on Instagram. “I’m on a work call, so I’m holding in my panic and my pain. I tell my coworker, ‘Listen, I’m not feeling well. I need to hop off.’” At first, she assumed it was a muscle spasm or stress-related pain, something that would ease with rest. But within minutes, her condition worsened. At first, her family tried to treat the pain with painkillers and even a few home remedies, but nothing worked. “My mom was doing the typical South Asian mom thing, bringing fruit, making me eat, but it wasn’t helping,” Bisma recalls. When her father returned home, he grew concerned. “He said, ‘We should go to the ER. This doesn’t look good.’ I told him, ‘I literally can’t move.’” That hospital then led to a diagnosis that changed everything: stage 4 breast cancer that had silently spread to Bisma’s spine. Tests later revealed aggressive cancer had formed a 1-cm tumour in her right breast. She was also pregnant at the time of her diagnosis and was forced to terminate her pregnancy as well. However, as of now, she says, due to treatment, her cancer is currently stable.

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that affects women. It happens when cancerous cells in your breasts multiply and become tumours. More than 80 per cent of breast cancer cases are invasive, meaning a tumor may spread from your breast to other areas of your body. Breast cancer typically affects women aged 50 years and older, but it can also affect women who are younger. Men may also develop breast cancer.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer

Apart from back pain like Bisma, a few noticeable symptoms of breast cancer may include:

• A change in the size, shape, or contour of your breast
• A mass or lump, which feels as small as a pea
• A lump or thickening in or near your breast or in your underarm that persists through your menstrual cycle
• A change in the look or feel of your skin on your breast or nipple. Your skin may look dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed. It may look red, purple, or darker than other parts of your breast
• A marble-like hardened area under your skin
• A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from your nipple