How Jade Goody's cancer developed
Jade Goody's cancer was a big shock to almost everyone.
It seemed as though she went from being healthy to extremely ill in a very short period of time, but Jade revealed shortly before her death that she'd been having symptoms for 3 years.
Here we show how Jade's health and cancer developed.
1997
Jade has abnormal cells removed from her cervix, at the age of 15.
According to the NHS Cancer Screening Programme, this is incredibly rare. In 2006 only 54 women under the age of 25 died from cervical cancer, and no one under the age of 20 has died from the disease in the last 2 years.
Symptoms of cervical cancer at a young age could include abnormal bleeding (such as between periods and after sex) and abnormal discharge. However, these symptoms could be caused by a number of things, and don't necessarily mean you've got cervical cancer.
March 2004
Jade is treated for an ovarian cyst
November 2006
After being rushed to hospital with stomach pains, Jade is tested for ovarian cancer and bowel cancer, but gets the all clear.
May 2007
Boyfriend Jack Tweed and Jade announce they are expecting a baby, but Jade miscarries a few weeks later when 12 weeks pregnant
September 2007
Jade says she's losing blood when she goes to the toilet - something that's been happening for a while - but doctors say she's had another miscarriage.
February 2008
Photographers snap Jade coming out of the doctor's - she tells them she is undergoing tests for cancer
August 2008
Jade's rushed to hospital after collapsing and losing blood. She's kept in while experts try to find the cause and she says it's the 4th time this has happened over 4 years.
Later the same month, 2 days after entering the Indian version of Big Brother, Jade is called into the Diary Room and told she has cervical cancer.
Jade reveals that she has had abnormal cells removed from her cervix 3 times in the past.
She also admits that she ignored a letter saying abnormal results had been found from a smear test a 4th time, because she was scared to go back to the hospital.
The NHS Cancer Screening Programme says: An abnormality in a smear test doesn't necessarily mean you've got cancer, sometimes it just means you've got an abnormality that can go away on its own.
Abnormalities are split into 4 levels, and even the most serious can be treated before cells become cancerous.
If you get an abnormal result from a smear test it is essential you go back to your hospital.
September 2008
After having a hysterectomy, Jade begins a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She then discovers the cancer is at an advanced stage and faces a year of chemotherapy.
January 2009
Jade experiences more stomach pains and has to pull out of a pantomime for emergency kidney blockage treatment. She discharges herself from hospital, but is taken back in after becoming ill and collapsing.
February 2009
Jade starts on an experimental drug, Topotecan, to fight her illness, but doctors confirm that the chemotherapy hasn't been as effective as they'd hoped, and a golfball-sized tumour is removed from Jade's bowel.
On Valentine's Day, Jade's publicist confirms she now only has months left to live, but by the end of February, she's admitted to a hospice after suffering hallucinations caused by her medication.
March 2009
Jade has an operation to remove a bowel blockage that was causing her pain and then returns to her home in Essex in an ambulance, with husband Jack Tweed by her side. Her sons visit her regularly, but early in the morning on 22 March - Mother's Day - Jade loses her fight for life.
Where to next?
- Jade's life on film
- More information on Jade Goody and cervical cancer
- Jade's life in pictures: See our gallery of some of her most memorable moments
- Find out the latest news on Jade
- Worried about another health issue? Find your condition here
- A medical explanation of breast cancer from Patient UK
- Why cancer patients get free prescriptions
More information
- NHS Cancer Screening Programme
- Now magazine's exclusive Jade Goody gallery
Cancer charities
- Cancer Research UK
- Marie Curie Cancer
- Breast Cancer Care
- Jo's Trust
By Katie McPhilimy
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Where to next?
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'I wish people would talk more about cancer'
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'Jade Goody's cancer battle saved my life'
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Tributes for brave Jade Goody
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Jade made me realise cancer can affect anyone
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'I beat Hodgkins Lymphoma twice'
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'I had bowel cancer at 28'
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'I'm the luckiest person I know'
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'I've been given the all-clear after ovarian cancer'
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'My positive attitude helped me beat lung cancer'
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'I beat breast cancer'
Tracey, 8 months
I am horrified to hear that Jade had problems at 15, yes 15 years old! I personsally think that ALL women should have a test done at any age when they request it.
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