Doctors Missed the Early Signs of Breast Cancer

Following a clinical examination, ultrasound and mammogram, the doctor informed her that the lump was benign and only “glandular thickening”. She trusted the doctor’s diagnosis.

In 2013 our client discovered a lump in her breast which was accompanied by a dull, throbbing pain in the same area.  These symptoms caused our client a great deal of concern and after attending upon her GP she was referred to the hospital for investigations. 

Following a clinical examination, ultrasound and mammogram, the doctor informed her that the lump was benign and only  “glandular thickening”.   She trusted the doctor’s diagnosis and her concerns were eased.

The pain gradually became more intense and frequent  over the next two years and after attending upon her GP again, she was referred for investigations.  This time, our client attended a private hospital and went along to the appointment by herself as she expected to be told that the lump was normal as occurred in 2013. 

However, after clinical examination she was advised that the lump may not be benign after all. The potential for the lump to be something more sinister frightened our client and she worried that the lump which had been there in 2013 was cancerous all along. 

The following day our client had a mammogram, an ultrasound scan and also a biopsy.  The results of the mammogram suggested the lump could be malignant and those suspicions were later confirmed by the biopsy results a week later. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer.

Over the next few years, our client was subject to a protracted course of treatment including chemotherapy, mastectomy and radiotherapy. The treatment had a significant impact on her physical and mental well being.

It was admitted by the hospital who undertook the investigations in 2013 that they failed to do a biopsy of the lump and that this failure was a breach of duty of care. The hospital also admitted that if they had done the biopsy in 2013, our client’s breast cancer would have been diagnosed earlier and her treatment would have been significantly less invasive avoiding certain treatments she had to undergo including chemotherapy and mastectomy.

To compensate her pain suffering and loss of amenity, our client was awarded a six figure sum.