Doctor ‘tried to squeeze lump’

AN Irish mother suffered a “significant delay” in being diagnosed with breast cancer because her doctor refused to accept the lump was anything other than a clogged milk duct.

Detailing the case at the Irish Association of Directors of Nursing and Midwifery (IADNM) annual conference in Athlone, cancer survivor and patient advocate Rebecca O’Malley said the situation was the direct result of a “culture of superiority” in the health service hierarchy.

According to Ms O’Malley, who was also incorrectly given the breast cancer all- clear in 2007, the unnamed patient had repeatedly raised concerns over the lump in the months before the incident.