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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Cancer / January 2006

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Twenty-one women with breast cancer were wrongly given the all-clear

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J - 24 Jan 2006 10:58 GMT
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/24/ncanc24.xml&sShe
et=/news/2006/01/24/ixhome.html
>
Derek Hornby - 24 Jan 2006 17:24 GMT
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/24/ncanc24.xml&sSh
eet=/news/2006/01/24/ixhome.html>

Yes and The Times 24 (uk edition)  January  goes  into more  detail:

Blunders at breast cancer hospitals.
By Sam Lister, Health Correspondent

UP to 17 women have been told they are at significant risk of dying
from breast cancer after a radiologist wrongly gave them the
all-clear, hospital chiefs said yesterday.

A report on the work of the radiologist, who has not been named, has
found that his diagnoses were not checked by a second radiologist as
the hospitals where he worked employed only one.

Last night cancer charities called on the Government to provide
funding to ensure that all patients referred to hospital by their GP with
suspected breast cancer had their scans double-checked as a matter of course.

When the radiologist was previously employed by another hospital, his
work was checked by a colleague. The report found that in those cases
there was no cause for concern.

The doctor was suspended by Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust in April
last year after junior colleagues became concerned about the quality
of his work and alerted hospital chiefs. The subsequent report, which
is published today, identified serious shortcomings which resulted in
the recall of 176 patients.

The delays caused by his misdiagnoses could have "significantly
altered" chances of survival for 17 patients, a director at one of
the hospitals affected said yesterday. One woman's cancer was only
noticed two years after the woman was informed that she did not have
the disease. Another 16 patients seen by the radiologist at Trafford
General and the North Manchester General, both in Greater Manchester,
had their conditions misdiagnosed.

In total, 2,495 mammograms by the consultant at the centre of the
investigation were recalled and rechecked. They dated from April
2003, when he joined the trust.

A small sample of his breast cancer tests were rechecked after
concerns were raised. The doctor was suspended at once and checks of
all his work carried out by an expert panel. The panel's report
states that, of the 176 patients who were recalled because of
concerns, 28 women with breast disease were identified whose
diagnosis had been delayed as a result of misreporting of their mammograms.

Twenty-five were patients from Trafford General Hospital and three
from North Manchester General Hospital; 21 had invasive breast cancer
diagnosed, six had benign breast disease and one had a treatable tumour.

Delays of more than three months for the diagnosis of breast cancer
can have serious implications, but four of the 21 cases had delays
less than that period.

The remaining 17 had delayed diagnoses of longer than three months.

Richard Campbell, medical director at Trafford, said those patients
have been told that the delayed diagnosis "might significantly alter
their prognosis".

Clara McKay, head of policy at Breast Cancer Care, the leading cancer
charity, said that the situation highlighted the need for more
radiologists who, where possible, could work in pairs to double-check work.

"The standard of all health professionals must be subject to ongoing
review," she said. "The acute UK-wide shortage of radiologists must
be addressed to ensure reliable breast screening for all."

Dr Campbell said the problem was first spotted by radio-graphers who
questioned the radiologist's X-ray work. All his radiology work was
subsequently checked but his diagnoses in other areas gave "no
significant concern". No problems were reported in his earlier work
at another trust, where all breast cancer radiology was
double-checked.

The hospitals were at pains to point out that the patients were women
referred for the tests by their GP, not those routinely checked under
national NHS breast screening.

The revelations come less than a week after the Government was urged
to extend by ten years the period for automatic breast cancer
screening for women. A Private Member's Bill aims to raise the upper
age limit to 75 and change the lower limit to 45. The current period
is 50 to 70.
 
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