Sydney woman thought her breast pain was part of her monthly cycle – now she’s warning Aussies after a shock cancer diagnosis

A 38-year-old Sydney hairdresser, Rosie Agius, says breast pain she initially associated with her menstrual cycle led doctors to find a tumour and diagnose triple-negative breast cancer. She is urging women to get unusual changes checked, because pain may be the only symptom and early assessment can help identify cancer.

Agius was diagnosed around five weeks ago with stage one to stage two, grade three cancer after an ultrasound and biopsy; the tumour measured 2cm. She has had two rounds of chemotherapy and expects roughly a year of chemotherapy and surgery. She also highlighted the cost of care, saying she could afford treatment but had seen another patient postpone an appointment because of the expense.