Doctors told teenage girl, ‘Stop Googling cancer’ – then she died from it

A teenage girl whose family were told by doctors to ‘stop Googling’ information about her rare form of liver cancer died from the disease after being told it would not return.

Her family have released Tweets and texts which they claim show how Bronte Doyne’s fears her disease would return were ignored by medical staff.

One doctor is said to have told her that her dramatic weight loss – which saw her lose two stone in a month – was due to ‘being from a skinny family.’

Her mother Lorraine, from Edwalton, Nottingham, said  ‘We had no information forthcoming and the only sources we found were through our own research.

We found a website for the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation, which is based in the United States, and it included an international forum.

‘But that information was dismissed by the doctors. I told the clinician that I knew what was happening to my daughter and something needed to be done but I was just told to ‘stop Googling’.

‘We were banging our heads against a brick wall even at the start.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have apologised to Bronte’s family after admitting they ‘did not listen with sufficient attention’.

Medical director Dr Stephen Fowlie said: ‘Bronte died less than 16 months after diagnosis of an extremely rare cancer and prompt surgery.

‘Sadly, there were no further surgical, chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment options for Bronte’s very aggressive cancer.

‘We apologise that our communication with Bronte and her family fell short.. We did not listen with sufficient attention.