'I was too fat for NHS cancer surgery appointment'

A woman diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer has told the BBC the NHS said her Body Mass Index (BMI) was too high to discuss surgery.

Rosemarie Winfield, 44, from Hailsham in East Sussex, was diagnosed in 2024 and is currently undergoing treatment.

She had been referred to the Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in East Grinstead to discuss reconstruction options if she were to decide on a mastectomy but said she was "essentially... too fat for them even to speak to me".

The hospital trust said it aimed to "treat every patient with respect and empathy" and was sorry Ms Winfield felt disappointed.

Ms Winfield, who has a BMI of 36, said: "My expectation was that QVH was going to talk to me about what the reconstruction options were."

However, she said she was told "we can't see you because your BMI is too high... and obviously that was upsetting."

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of cancer, which blocks the lymph vessels in the breasts, causing them to become red and inflamed.

It "can develop quickly" and "in general, the outlook for this type of cancer is worse than for other types of breast cancer", according to Cancer Research.

Ms Winfield said: "It's quite a rare and serious type of cancer - there's a 50% chance I'll be here in five years."

She said if patients were overweight "then help them to lose weight, give them that support if they want a reconstruction rather than just cut off options for people".

Ms Winfield received an apology after complaining to QVH but said: "Every patient should be treated with kindness and empathy within the NHS.

"They treated me like a subhuman based on an unscientific BMI number. This is a disgrace."

Louise Grimsdell, senior clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Now, said: "Women with breast cancer need to be provided with clear information, and have all suitable options discussed with them.

"Some people may be advised not to have breast reconstruction, and this may be for a number of reasons, including having a high body mass index (BMI).

"Women who are advised not to have reconstruction, or to have delayed reconstruction due to their BMI, should receive clear explanations about the reasons for this."

A spokesperson for QVH said: "We aim to treat every patient with respect and empathy and we are sorry that Ms Winfield felt disappointed.

"To undergo complex breast reconstruction at QVH, patients need to fulfil certain medical criteria, including being non-smokers and having a body mass index (BMI) below 35.

"This is because post-operative complications increase dramatically for patients with a higher BMI, which can also compromise further cancer treatment such as chemo or radiotherapy."

The hospital said a safer option would be to have mastectomy surgery, take time to recover, and then consider breast reconstruction as a delayed procedure.

The hospital also said it offered a "prehabilitation programme" to help patients lose weight and improve fitness prior to elective surgery.

It said it was investigating Miss Winfield's experience "fully" and had offered her an appointment to discuss her concerns with a breast reconstruction consultant, or, if she preferred, an urgent referral to another hospital for a second opinion.

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