Overview

• Lea Hughes first noticed a breast lump in 2015 at age 29 but was told it was hormonal fibrocystic tissue and was not referred for tests.
• In April 2018 she was diagnosed with incurable stage four breast cancer that had already metastasized to her liver and bones.
• Despite a mastectomy, multiple chemotherapy regimens and radiotherapy, scans in August 2024 detected brain metastases and in March 2025 revealed lung involvement requiring fluid drainage.
• Now on her sixth round of chemotherapy, she has exhausted all NHS-funded treatment options for her advanced disease.
• Enhertu, the targeted antibody-drug conjugate she hopes to access, has shown tumor shrinkage in clinical trials but costs over £10,000 per cycle and remains outside NHS coverage for her condition.