Doctor 'switched cancer samples'

A doctor used specimens from a cancer patient to cover up her misdiagnosis of a woman who had a breast removed, the General Medical Council has been told.

Dinah Velta Parums, a consultant from Dorchester, Dorset, was said to have "lied" in a "planned and premeditated" plot when colleagues became suspicious.

She is accused of trying to pass off cancerous tissue as another patient's at the Dorset County Hospital.

On Monday, Dr Parums denied serious professional misconduct.

All the time she was perpetuating a lie over a misdiagnosis she had made Lynn Griffin, GMC

She also denied that her actions during May to June 2002 were dishonest, irresponsible, inappropriate and not in her patient's best interests.

At the time the lumps, at first feared to have been cancerous, in the patient's right breast were recorded as normal by colleague Dr Khalid Jaber, the GMC's professional conduct committee was told.

As doubts grew over her diagnosis, Dr Parums took the unusual step of supplementing her colleagues' work by taking 12 extra blocks of specimens from the patient, Mrs W, for investigation, the committee was told.

A few days later while working during the busy bank holiday period she took a sample from Mrs A and placed it in Mrs W's tissue blocks, it was claimed.

But at this point Dr Parums, 47, could not be certain about the kind of cancer Mrs A was suffering from.

And in her report her diagnosis of Mrs W was changed from ductal to lobular cancer.

Breast reconstruction

Lynn Griffin, for the GMC, told the central London hearing: "She tried to lead her colleagues (into thinking) that her diagnosis was correct when all the time she was perpetuating a lie over a misdiagnosis she had made.

"The lie was only uncovered by the concern of her colleague Dr Jaber."

DNA tests later proved that the cancerous sample belonged to Mrs A.

Mrs W, who had been taking a special course of drugs since her mastectomy and breast reconstruction in May 2002, was told of the misdiagnosis in February 2003.

She was ordered to stop taking the drugs.

The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.