Breast error surgeon denies misconduct

The woman underwent an operation at Hairmyres Hospital

A woman whose breast was mistakenly removed by a consultant surgeon says he told her to 'get on with her life' when she complained to him of depression following the operation.

The General Medical Council heard how William Thomson removed the woman's right breast in an operation at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride, in the mistaken belief that it was cancerous.

When the woman - known only as "Mrs A" - challenged Mr Thomson, she said he made her even more upset by claiming it was not as serious as divorce or losing a child.

Mr Thomson denies misconduct

Mr Thomson admits failing to undertake a pre-operative biopsy to confirm his diagnosis of breast cancer and thus having insufficient medical information to justify his decision to undertake the operation in November 1997.

However, he denies failing to obtain her informed consent and making inappropriate and insensitive comments to her at a subsequent consultation.

The GMC's professional conduct committee was told how the woman, from Cambuslang, had gone to the hospital with a lump in her breast.

After having ultrasound and a mammogram the woman said she was told by Mr Thomson that there was no need to have a biopsy because he was "99.9% sure" of his diagnosis of cancer.

'Feeling low'

It was only after the operation that tests showed the lump was benign.

The hearing was told that Mrs A visited Mr Thomson almost two months after the operation and told him she was feeling low.

Tests later showed the lump was benign

His response amazed her.

"He wasn't very nice at all," she said.

"I said: 'I have been pretty down' and he more or less told me: 'You're lucky, you don't have cancer'."

"He said: 'Get on with your life'. At one stage he said that it was not like losing a child, or going through divorce."

Jane Sullivan, for the GMC, said: "We accept he was generally motivated to act in the best interests of the patient but he took an unnecessary risk, which we say no competent breast practitioner ought to have taken.

"It resulted in devastating consequences for the patient who received an unnecessary mastectomy.

"It is our case that it was no simple misjudgement, but amounted to serious professional misconduct."

Mr Thomson denies professional misconduct. The hearing continues.