The Health Service Executive has said it expects that the misdiagnosis of a woman with breast cancer "will prove to have been an isolated incident". Fiona Gartlandreports.
In a statement last night, the HSE expressed its regret to Rebecca O'Malley for the distress caused to her and her family.
Mrs O'Malley (41), a mother of three from Ballina, underwent a fine needle biopsy at Midwestern Regional Hospital, Limerick, in March 2005 to test for suspected breast cancer. The sample was sent to a cytology laboratory in Cork University Hospital and was diagnosed as normal. However, 14 months later, Mrs O'Malley's GP recommended that she have a second biopsy and the test showed she did have cancer.
Mrs O'Malley underwent a mastectomy and a course of chemotherapy before it emerged that the first test did, in fact, show malignancy.
Last night, the HSE said the Limerick hospital was carrying out a review of similar cases, purely as a precautionary measure. "To date there have been no adverse findings," a spokeswoman said. "In the circumstances, the HSE would expect that this will prove to have been an isolated incident."
She said that a review was under way at Cork University Hospital to establish what happened in Mrs O'Malley's case, the results of which would be communicated to her and the National Hospitals Office in the immediate future.
"Where there is evidence of concern of any other patient's cytology results, Cork University Hospital will be taking whatever action is necessary, including a look-back," she said.
Speaking yesterday, Mrs O'Malley said she would not be satisfied with an internal investigation into the incident.
"It is not enough for the lab to review itself," she said. "They knew at the end of January that this happened, but there didn't seem to be any interest in how they came to make that misdiagnosis, they seemed to have done nothing until we went public."
She said she was shocked and saddened when she discovered that her mastectomy might not have been needed if she had been treated earlier. She initially co-operated when she was asked not to tell her story, but changed her mind when little progress was made.
"I regret having to go public, I didn't want to alarm other women, but it had to be done," she said. "Even if one person goes back and has a revised result and starts treatment, it will have been worth it."
Minister for Health Mary Harney said she would decide whether to initiate an independent investigation into the misdiagnosis after she received a report from the HSE and Cork University Hospital.
"What I want is to make sure that we learn from mistakes, that we put in place procedures to ensure that they can't happen again and when they are identified, that we respond to the complainant in a speedy and sensitive fashion," she said.
Cork University Hospital is the second-largest centre for breast cancer tests in Ireland. Its laboratories also carry out tests on biopsies from other hospitals in the region, but it ceased to carry out diagnostic cytology tests for Limerick patients in mid-July 2005.
Europa Donna Ireland, the Irish breast cancer campaign organisation, has called for a full independent investigation.
Women who attended the Midwestern Regional Hospital who may be concerned should contact the breast clinic in Limerick between 9.30am and 5pm at 061-482796.
Patients who attended the Cork University Hospital for a fine needle aspiration breast cytology and may be concerned should contact 1800 742 800.