Maria put her body odour down to being a busy mum. A few months later, she was diagnosed with cancer. Now, a top doctor reveals when your smell is really the sign of something sinister
At first, Maria Schenkel didn’t think much of her sudden increase in body odour. A working mother of two, the 41-year-old was used to rushing from one thing to the next and initially assumed she was simply getting hot and sweaty during her busy days.
But after a few weeks, she noticed the smell intensify – and, more strangely, it seemed to return almost immediately after washing.
‘I remember thinking, “Why do I smell so bad?”, because I would have just showered, not sweat at all and then smelled so awful still,’ says the former business development worker.
‘But because I was busy working and raising a family, I just carried on.’
It’s a decision Maria now bitterly regrets. After noticing a lump in her breast a few months later, she finally sought medical attention. Doctors found a two-inch cancerous tumour that, they said, had been there for some time.
Maria, who now lives in Greenville in South Carolina, underwent a mastectomy and two years on is cancer-free. But she laments that she didn’t listen to changes in how she smelled far earlier. ‘I wish I knew then what I know now,’ she adds.
It might sound strange, but experts say persistent and unexplained changes in body odour can signal a growing tumour.
Dr John Riches, consultant haematologist at Barts and the London NHS Trust, says: ‘Cancer cells can release compounds into the bloodstream which the body then releases in blood, sweat and breath. This can result in a change in body odour.
Working mother-of-two Maria Schenkel initially didn’t think much of her increasing body odour
‘What’s quite rare is that people are able to smell it themselves.’
Rapidly growing cancer cells can release tiny chemical particles called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), research shows. These particles are then excreted through the skin as well as the breath, urine and stool.
Ongoing research is being done to find ways to identify early cancers by measuring VOCs released by the body.
Some emerging studies have already shown that analysing urine and breath can flag early tumours in gastrointestinal, liver and prostate cancers. And several major programmes are examining the VOCs released by some of the most common breast tumours.
Dr Riches says: ‘When you hear those incredible stories of a dog sensing its owner’s cancer, it’s VOCs the animal is picking up. It’s still less clear whether humans, who tend to have a less acute sense of smell, can identify them as well.’ In Maria’s case, a change in body odour was quickly accompanied by a range of concerning symptoms – all of which she at first dismissed.
Extreme fatigue saw her waking up in the morning feeling like ‘I’d been run over by a bus.’
She adds: ‘My legs felt incredibly heavy and I’d had eight or nine hours’ sleep, but I still felt exhausted. I honestly thought that was just what turning 40 felt like.’
Maria also found herself increasingly craving sugary foods as well as experiencing regular bloating and finding inexplicable bruises on her legs. But it wasn’t until her four-year-old daughter accidentally pressed against her breast, leaving it sore, that Maria noticed an unusual area of ‘slightly harder’ tissue.
Maria thought she’d get checked after she noticed an area of ‘slightly harder’ tissue in her breast
‘I thought it was just dense breast tissue,’ she says. ‘I really didn’t think it would be cancer, but I thought that I should get it checked anyway.’
An ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy saw her quickly diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma – the most common form of breast cancer.
The diagnosis came as a complete shock to her.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ says Maria. ‘I lived a healthy lifestyle. I exercised, ate a plant-based diet, didn’t smoke or drink and there wasn’t any history of cancer in my family.’
Nearly 60,000 British women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year – making it the most common cancer in the UK.
Around 80 per cent of cases occur in women over the age of 50. But the number of cases in under-50s – known as early onset cancers – is rapidly rising.
Women under 50 now make up one in five breast cancer cases in Britain – a 20 per cent increase from the early 1990s. Research has linked a range of different factors to the spike in early onset cancers – from rising rates of obesity, to an increasingly ultra-processed diet, to changes in pollution.
But experts warn that despite heightened awareness over the rise in breast cancers in younger women, many still dismiss key early symptoms of the disease.
Maria was quickly diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma – the most common form of breast cancer
As a result, studies show, women under 40 are nearly 40 per cent more likely to die from the condition than those over 40.
Common symptoms of the disease are the same for both older and younger women. These can include a new lump or thickening in the breast, skin changes, size or shape shifts and persistent pain.
Yet research shows younger women are more likely to attribute breast changes to hormonal shifts or simply overlook them altogether, believing that they are too young for cancer.
Maria says: ‘I’ve met a lot of people through this journey who said they ignored symptoms because they were busy looking after everyone else.
‘Don’t assume you’re overreacting. If something keeps bothering you or doesn’t feel normal, get it checked. Listening to your body could make all the difference.’
