Care director ‘sad and angry’ over failures in cancer case

THE mid-west’s director of cancer services said he was sad and angry that a woman’s breast cancer went undiagnosed when she was first referred for examination in 2005.

Strongly criticising the medical management of the woman, consultant medical oncologist Professor Rajnish Gupta said: “Personally I am extremely disappointed, sad, angry and concerned that it has happened, that it was allowed to happen.”

The 51-year-old woman originally from Co Tipperary, attended Barrington’s, a private hospital in Limerick, in September 2005.

A pathology report on a breast lump sent to University College Hospital in Galway stated mistakenly that there was no evidence of malignancy.

In June 2006, the woman returned to Barrington’s for a mammogram, which came back normal.

It was not until March this year, after returning again to Barrington’s, that further biopsies confirmed evidence of cancer. The woman, who has asked not to be identified, was referred to Prof Gupta’s specialist cancer unit in April.

Prof Gupta said: “This lady should have been referred to a regional specialist breast unit and a multi-disciplinary team at her original presentation in 2005.”

Prof Gupta said that even if a pathology test in his specialist unit had missed the cancer it would have been picked up within weeks due to a number of other findings, including a mammogram that was highly suggestive of malignancy.

The follow-up in 2005, he said, should have been different, due to the mammogram.

Prof Gupta said: “Although we all hope that this lady has a good prognosis, it should also be stated that she may not have necessarily needed such intensive treatment had she received a formal and proper triple assessment in September 2005.

“If she was treated in 2005 the prognosis would be much better than now. If this kind of situation is allowed to continue involving patients with possible or proven cancer, I certainly for one would find it difficult to continue in this health service.”

He said errors will happen, but there should be a system to pick up mistakes and that is why specialist units are there.

Prof Gupta said specialist-care cancer patients have a 20% higher survival rate than those treated in non-specialist settings.

He welcomed the fact that the private medical sector would be looked into as part of the investigation that will be carried out.

He said cancer patients should only be looked after in private hospitals that are set up with all the multidisciplinary care and have a workload to make them proficient.

He said he was not aware that Barrington’s had these necessary components of specialist cancer care.