Mum told she had cancer and she hasnt

[juless77]

What shall we do.... Mum has OPCD went for her annual review and they wanted her to have scans etc and she went for the results she was told she had lung cancer and she had to go back after 2 weeks for them to discuss options....When she went back to see another consultant he told her she didn't have cancer and to come back as normal after a year for her yearly check up ....for those 2 week she was heartbroken planning her funeral planning things etc ....Now she is so relieved she doesn't have cancer but we feel the heartbreak she suffered lessons need to be learnt so where do I start with the complaint on her behalf...and what would you say ?

I’m surprised at this comment… and it certainly didn’t need to be that aggressive to an OP who has been through hell because of this mistake.

It’s DEFINITELY worth reporting so a record is made. Whether it’s an isolated incident or a regular problem it might indicate an issue with a particular staff member or a need for a change in how and when they tell patients diagnoses (ie telling a patient it MIGHT be cancer until further tests confirm it), a need for staff training or a specific area in need of greater investment in research / diagnostic practice.

So, are you suggesting that doctors have nothing to learn once they are fully qualified? No reflecting on practice, no personal and professional development, no learning about new medical breakthroughs? Just chalk any mistake up to 'that's life'.

What an awful post.

Of course experts need to learn, the day someone thinks they know everything and don’t have to reflect or learn in order to improve is the day that their arrogance becomes dangerous.

I would be wanting a second opinion.

I had the same experience with my dad - the GP told him a massive growth on his shoulder was cancerous and even went through all the reasons why it wasn’t anything else. My dad was in bits facing his own mortality and my mum and myself were heartbroken for 2 weeks while we waited for urgent scan results. He was then told he had “fatty tissue” which was quite unbelievable at first but after further tests and biopsy it was confirmed . We thank God for doing the impossible in this situation! So sorry to those who have lost a family member from cancer, we recently lost my beloved Uncle who had cancer in many areas of his body - very sudden diagnosis and short illness.
we haven’t complained although I wanted to- the experience made me appreciate my parents and recognise how much they mean to me.

It is possibly a case of poor communication from the doctor - something along the lines of “we need to rule out cancer by doing x, y, z” and she has latched on to the word cancer and not taken in the rest. It is also entirely possible a mistake had been made by the doctor, if it turn out that she did hear correctly.

In any case, a complaint needs to be made, in terms of finding out how this happened and preventing someone else from going through the same. there is always something to be learned, even if it is to ensure the doctors communication skills are up to scratch. You’d be amazed how many times I’ve been with patients who have misunderstood what the doctor has told them because they didn’t understand and the doctor didn’t take the time to make sure they understood. You’d be working your rights to ask for another opinion - how can you have confidence in the diagnosis when you’re told two completely different things?

What do you think the experts you consulted needed to learn?

Surely that's not a serious question?

How to NOT mistakenly tell a patient they have cancer, maybe? I think that would be a good thing to learn.

Personally would just be happy she doesn't have cancer and sorry for the overworked staff. Everyone with a cancer diagnosis goes through that multiple times and it may well be your Mum misunderstood and needs someone with her to check things. I would however be checking again she definitely doesn't have cancer though I would imagine first time it was symptoms of cancer then second was confirmation not. The NHS is under tremendous pressure at the moment and the priority needs to be on people with cancer not people who thought they might have cancer for two weeks.

Who told the initial cancer news? They are the people to ask. It could be that they said it could be cancer or it was a mass that could be cancer ??

We need more info OP- what exactly happened? Was it from GP, a Specialist, a CXR, a CT scan or what ??

Consultant Surgeon here. Absolutely reasonable to raise a concern via PALS - no one can comment on what has happened in this case but it's your right to have it explained to you. There may well be learning to be taken from the case. There may not be. Sometimes what looks like cancer on a CT scan turns out to look normal on an MRI scan for example. It's uncommon but does happen. Ask the questions!

This happened to me. I didn't do anything as it was a mistake that was short lived. If I'd started chemo I would of sued but no harm was caused except a bit of shock and stress. I know its not nice but it happens.

Ah ok sorry looks like a CT. My guess is that the CT scan report suggested cancer. When she then went to the chest specialist they had either discussed her case in the MDT or the Specialist reviewed the scans themselves and had a different opinion.

I would definitely get a third opinion to put her mind at rest.

If they weren’t 100% sure then they should have never said she had cancer.

Did they say she definitely had cancer or suspected cancer?

I’m shocked that you can have 2 completely different diagnosis.

I would focus on getting a third opinion before thinking about putting a complaint in.

This is what I did. The 2nd and 3rd consultant both said the exact same thing which was I don't understand how the original consultant came to that conclusion as its blatantly obvious what it is but I felt better having the 3rd say it as up to that point I had one saying yes one saying no.

Because sometimes tests are just wrong through no human error fault. A scan for example can look like cancer when it turns out not to be. It's not a ludicrous post - I just have a different opinion to you.

I was told my cervical cancer had returned three months after I finished treatment. I was told I needed have total pelvic exenteration surgery but even then I would only have a twenty percent chance of survival. I had to be treated at the Royal Marsden which is a two hour car journey from home.
I then spent six weeks going back and forth to London for pre op tests. Then after a laparoscopy they told me the cancer hadn't returned. Nobody ever completely explained what had happened but I believe what they saw was pelvic scarring which was extensive after my original treatment.
Loads of people said I should sue but honestly, I was just happy I was going to see my dc grow up and grateful for the NHS and the treatment I'd had to combat my original diagnosis.
It's a horrible thing to go through but I don't think complaining is the right thing to do.