At first, Maria Schenkel didn’t think much about her sudden increase in body odor.
The 41-year-old working mother of two was used to rushing from one thing to the next, and initially assumed she just got hot and sweaty during her busy days.
But after a few weeks, she noticed that the smell became more intense—and, even stranger, that it seemed to return almost immediately after washing.
“I remember thinking, ‘Why do I smell so bad?’
“But because I was busy working and raising a family, I just kept going.”
It is a decision that Maria now bitterly regrets. After noticing a lump in her breast a few months later, she finally sought medical help. Doctors found a 4cm cancerous tumor that had been there for some time.
Maria, from Greenville, South Carolina, had a mastectomy and two years later she is cancer-free. But she wishes she had listened to changes in her scent much sooner.
“I wish I knew then what I know now,” she adds.
At first, Maria Schenkel, 41, didn’t think much of her sudden increase in body odor. Strangely enough, it seemed to come back almost immediately after washing
It may sound strange, but experts say persistent and unexplained changes in body odor can signal a growing tumor.
‘Cancer cells can release compounds into the bloodstream, which the body then releases in the form of blood, sweat and breath,’ says Dr John Riches, consultant haematologist at Barts Health NHS Trust in London.
‘This can result in a change in body odor. What is quite rare is that people can smell it themselves.’
Research shows that fast-growing cancer cells can release small chemical particles called volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
These particles are then excreted through the skin, but also through the breath, urine and feces.
Ongoing research is looking for ways to identify cancer at its early stages by measuring the VOCs released by the body, says Dr. Riches.
Some emerging research has already shown that analyzing urine and breath can identify early tumors in stomach, liver and prostate cancer. And several major programs are investigating the VOCs released by some of the most common breast tumors.
“When you hear those incredible stories about a dog sensing its owner’s cancer, it’s the VOCs that the animal is picking up,” says Dr. Riches. ‘It is even less clear whether people, who generally have a less keen sense of smell, can also identify them.’
After noticing a lump in her breast a few months later, she finally sought medical help. Doctors found a 4cm cancerous tumor that had been there for some time
In Maria’s case, a change in body odor was quickly accompanied by a series of worrying symptoms – all of which she initially dismissed.
Due to the extreme fatigue, she woke up in the morning feeling “like I had been run over by a bus.”
She adds: ‘My legs felt incredibly heavy and I had slept for eight to nine hours, but I still felt exhausted. I honestly thought this was exactly what turning 40 felt like.”
Maria also noticed that she was increasingly craving sugary foods, and frequently suffered from bloating and unexplained bruising on her legs.
But it wasn’t until her four-year-old daughter accidentally pressed her chest, causing it to become painful, that Maria noticed an unusual area of ”slightly harder” tissue.
“I thought it was just dense breast tissue,” she says. ‘I didn’t actually think it was cancer, but I thought I should have it checked out anyway.’
Thanks to an ultrasound, mammography and biopsy, she was quickly diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma – the most common form of breast cancer.
The diagnosis came as a complete shock. “I couldn’t believe it,” Maria says. ‘I lived a healthy lifestyle. I exercised, ate a plant-based diet, didn’t smoke or drink and there was no cancer in my family.’
About 322,000 American women are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year – making it the most common cancer among women in the US, aside from skin cancer.
Most cases occur in women over 50 years of age. But the number of cases among younger women – known as early-onset cancers – has been rising.
Research has linked a number of factors to the rise in breast cancer among younger women – from rising rates of obesity and later childbearing to changes in diet and environmental exposure.
But despite rising awareness, many still ignore the key early symptoms of the disease, experts warn.
Common symptoms of the disease are the same for both older and younger women, and may include a new lump or thickening in the breast, skin changes, changes in the size or shape of the breast, and persistent pain.
Yet research shows that younger women are more likely to attribute breast changes to hormonal shifts or simply overlook them, believing they are too young for cancer.
Maria says, “I met many people on this trip who said they ignored the symptoms because they were busy taking care of everyone else.
‘Don’t think you’re exaggerating. If something continues to bother you or you don’t feel normal, get it checked. Listening to your body can make the difference.’
