Woman Thought Lump Was Symptom of Miscarriage, but It Was Breast Cancer

In early 2023, Reshu Basnyat found a lump in her breast, but she wasn’t worried that it was anything alarming.

The then-33-year-old had recently experienced an early miscarriage, according to Australian outlet 9Honey, and assumed the lump — which she said was “deep inside” her breast — was simply a “hormonal change” from the miscarriage. “That was the only thing that was on my mind,” she said of her initial assumption.

Basnyat, now 35, ignored the lump, thinking it would go away on its own, but grew concerned when she became pregnant again and realized it had not gotten any smaller. Despite having a family history of breast cancer and having had a benign lump removed from her breast in 2011, Basnyat’s primary care doctor had told her at the time not to worry about undergoing regular mammograms.

He said, ‘You’re so healthy and young, you don’t have to do that,’ ” Basnyat recalled to 9Honey. “So I didn’t do any checkups.”

Increasingly worried about the lump during her pregnancy, Basnyat ultimately got it checked out. “The specialist said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re pregnant. Just for peace of mind, let’s do a biopsy, but I think it’s nothing,’ ” Basnyat told 9Honey.

Following the biopsy, she was diagnosed with triple-positive aggressive breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. Basnyat’s first thought was for the safety of her unborn baby boy.

“All I could think was, ‘I want this baby. I can’t lose this one,’ ” she said.

Basnyat began treatment immediately, starting with surgery to remove the lump, followed by weeks of chemotherapy. She and her husband did some research, looking for stories about other women who were diagnosed with cancer while pregnant and went on to give birth to healthy babies.

“We could hardly find any,” she recalled.

Throughout her treatment, Basnyat said, she continued to seek reassurance from her medical team that her baby would be safe.

“I would always say, ‘Will this harm my baby? Will I lose the pregnancy? I want this baby. You need to make sure you’re going to protect him,’ ” she told 9Honey. “It was very traumatic, it was very painful, it was very confusing. I don’t know how I did it.”

Just weeks before welcoming her son, Basnyat paused her chemotherapy treatment. Her son was born early and had to spend several weeks in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) — but Basnyat said having him by her side gave her the strength and determination to continue her grueling cancer treatment.

Basnyat ultimately underwent 14 rounds of chemotherapy, 17 rounds of targeted therapy and 15 rounds of radiation. She remains on maintenance treatment, but currently has no evidence of cancer in her body.

“I’m not cancer-free yet,” she told 9Honey.

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With the support of the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), Basnyat has begun to share her story with others — and the process has been cathartic.

“It was only recently that I realised I need to talk about things, I have to share my feelings,” she said. “I still cry, but then it kind of gives me relief, looking back to my story.”