Patient's anger at cancer retests

Cancer retesting shock for mother

A woman caught up in the review of cancer tests at a Welsh hospital says she is "appalled" at what has happened.

Deborah Martin, 43, has been told three separate biopsies for breast and stomach cancer have to be reviewed.

Wrexham Maelor hospital is examining 4,500 cases, after it emerged that 12 patients were given inaccurate findings to tests.

The errors related to tissue samples "reported on" by pathologist Roger Williams over an 18 month period.

"Numbed"

Mrs Martin, from Mynydd Isa near Mold, Flintshire, said she first realised the errors at the Wrexham hospital involved her, after hearing news reports and contacted the hospital.

"About two hours later the phone rang to say that unfortunately that the details I had given led them to believe that I was within the batches they were concerned about," said Mrs Martin.

The least you could expect would be a letter, a phone call or something from the authority - but here's been nothing proactive from them at all Deborah Martin

"Which was distressing to say the least, and slightly shocking.

"I was quite numbed by it and quite shocked, and thereafter quite tearful.

"Today, I found very difficult to handle. I have been very angry."

Mrs Martin said she now understood three biopsies had been screened by the pathologist at the centre of investigations, Roger Williams.

"It's a waiting game. I'm in the same pot as everyone else waiting for another phone call from the hospital to see how it has been narrowed down," she added.

Dr Roger Williams has apologised to patients affected

Dr Williams, who stood down as locum shortly after the problems came to light last September, has said he is "deeply sorry".

It is known that three of 12 patients given the wrong results were incorrectly told they were clear of cancer.

Two of the 12 have subsequently died, although the hospital has said they were correctly diagnosed by other means and it was confident the treatment the pair had would not have differed.

The cause of the two deaths has not been revealed.

Anger

Mrs Martin, who is a mother of two, and works as a medical representative for the pharmaceutical industry, said she is demanding answers from the hospital trust.

"I found myself being extremely angry both at the health authority for having withheld this information for this period of time, knowingly, that there are false-negatives being given," she added.

"But also because of the way that we haven't been informed, we've not been treated in anyway whatsoever.

"The least you could expect would be a letter, a phone call or something from the authority - but here's been nothing proactive from them at all."

The North East Wales NHS Trust said it was investigating every tissue test reported on by Dr Williams from April 2006 to September 2007.

Patients have been told it will take up to 12 weeks to complete the work. They will be contacted as soon as the results of their tests are confirmed, and the trust said most patients would not have to wait that long.

All those who contact the helpline and whose test was reported on by Dr Williams have been told they will be contacted again within three working days.

Anyone who is worried can contact the hospital's helpline on 01978 726155.