Amputee sues over late diagnosis

The young mother said she had suffered "severe distress"

A woman who lost a leg to bone cancer is suing her doctors after the disease was not diagnosed for six months.

Sally Hurst, from Barwick in Elmet, near Leeds, West Yorkshire, claims her leg might have been saved from amputation if she was diagnosed sooner.

The 29-year-old is now taking legal action against her GPs.

Ms Hurst was planning her wedding when she began to suffer from knee pain in September 2004. She says a GP told her the pain was caused by ligament damage.

In December the same year, after going to see a different doctor, she claims she was prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets but was not referred to a specialist.

She was finally referred to a physiotherapist in 2005 when her knee had become so painful she needed to walk with a crutch.

'Shocking' case

The physiotherapist suggested a blood test and Ms Hurst was diagnosed with the rare and aggressive bone cancer, osteosarcoma, in April 2005 after tests, X-rays and a biopsy.

The tumour did not respond to chemotherapy and, as it was too late for limb-saving surgery, she had to have a high-level leg amputation in order to save her life.

Ms Hurst, who works for BBC Radio Leeds, is taking legal action against Dr Louise Gardiner and Dr Nicholas Ball at West Lodge Surgery in Pudsey.

Solicitors for both doctors said they could not comment on the case.

Ms Hurst said: "I was in great pain for several months without knowing what was wrong, and this caused me severe distress.

"Ultimately, if I had been referred to a specialist earlier, I might not have lost my leg."

Rachelle Mahapatra, from Irwin Mitchell solicitors, added: "Sally Hurst's case is a particularly shocking example.

"This is a rare cancer but despite her continued pleas for help from her GP, her symptoms were dismissed as a sprain.

"When she attended her GP she had some of the classic symptoms of possible bone cancer which should have led the GP to question his diagnosis.

"Time is of the essence when you have an aggressive tumour and the delay meant she could not be considered for limb-sparing surgery."

Ms Hurst is now a trustee of the Bone Cancer Research Trust in Leeds, which is working to raise awareness of bone cancer symptoms among GPs and the general public.