Woman Thought Lump Was Symptom of Miscarriage — but It Was Actually an Aggressive Form of Breast Cancer

In early 2023, Reshu Basnyat discovered a lump in her breast, but she didn’t think it was anything serious.

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

Basnyat, now 35, initially ignored the lump, believing it would disappear on its own. But when she became pregnant again, she noticed it hadn’t gotten any smaller. Despite having a family history of breast cancer and a prior benign lump removed in 2011, her primary care doctor had previously told her not to worry about 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.”

As her pregnancy progressed, her concern grew, and she eventually had the lump examined. “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,'” she told 9Honey.

After the biopsy, Basnyat was diagnosed with triple-positive aggressive breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. Her first thought was for the safety of her unborn son.

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

She began treatment immediately, starting with surgery to remove the lump, followed by weeks of chemotherapy. She and her husband searched for stories of women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy who gave birth to healthy babies — but found very few.

Throughout her treatment, Basnyat relied on her medical team for reassurance about her baby’s safety.

“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, very painful, very confusing. I don’t know how I did it.”

Just weeks before her son’s birth, Basnyat paused chemotherapy. Her son arrived early and spent several weeks in the NICU, but having him by her side gave her the strength to continue her demanding treatment.

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

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

With the support of the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), Basnyat has started sharing her story with others — a process she describes as 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 on my story.”