Cancer blunder consultant blames mistake on sample

Mary O'Connor reports in the Galway Advertiser this week

A hospital consultant at the centre of a probe into breast cancer misdiagnosis at University Hospital Galway has admitted his error, saying he may have misdiagnosed a cell sample because it was in "bad shape".

Dr Antoine Geagea, a pathologist who worked at Cork University Hospital after leaving Galway, was referring to a case involving the Galway hospital's pathology laboratory which hit the headlines last August over erroneously giving a 51-year-old woman with breast cancer the all-clear on two occasions.

The Tipperary woman was twice told by UHG there was no trace of cancer. In September 2005 she attended a private hospital in Limerick for a breast biopsy. The sample was sent to the laboratory at UHG for analysis and was found not to be cancerous. When she found a second lump in March 2007 a new biopsy was taken and sent to the Galway laboratory. This was reported as negative also.

These two examinations were carried out on tissue removed from her breast in September 2005 and on cells removed from her breast in March 2007. The specimens were examined by two different doctors at the laboratory for the presence of cancer cells and both were reported incorrectly as being negative.

Dr Geagea, who is from Lebanon but now lives in Finland, said while working in Cork he was contacted by hospital management at UHG who outlined that a patient had been misdiagnosed on two occasions in 2005 and 2007.

"Yes, the manager sent me a letter, a very polite letter to explain to me the situation - that to one patient happens two mistakes, once before me by two years, and by me also. They just explain to me the matter. There was one patient in 2005 misdiagnosed by a consultant," he alleges.

Dr Geagea, who had been working at Cork Univeristy Hospital's laboratory before stepping down from his post after being put on leave, said in 2007 he examined cells from the patient. He claimed it was very difficult to identify cancer cells because the quality of the cells sample was "very bad".

"In 2007 from the patient they took a sample. And I said in the sample, this is very difficult to identify cancer cells because the quality of the cells samples very bad. That is the fact. I told them there is no malignancy. Usually in these cases you don't put any malignancy. You just say ‘no malignancy'".

It subsequently emerged that the patient had cancer. "It could happen that I misinterpreted but the reason why I misinterpreted the cell was because it was in bad shape."

The breast cancer error involving the mid-western woman was described as "unforgiveable" by a member of a Galway patients' rights group when the story broke last year.

Castlegar woman Mary Tierney said one error may be seen as a mistake but receiving two incorrect breast biopsy results from UHG's pathology laboratory was "unforgiveable" and a "disgrace". She went on to call for multi disciplinary teams to have the final say in signing off test results.

A spokesperson for the HSE West said at the time that its primary concern was for the patient involved and it "apologised unreservedly" to the woman and her family for the errors.

In a statement it outlined that when the laboratory was contacted by the woman's clinician in late June 2007 an internal recheck was carried out.

It outlined that "triple assessment' is carried out in the management of suspected breast cancer cases at the breast clinic at UHG. This is designed to minimise risk.

Other Local News from Galway

• Student grants to be means tested differently
• House prices continue to fall
• Air Corps officer wins appeal against dismissal
• ?10m for Dublin victims of clerical sex abuse
• Jury sent home in Dublin murder trial
• View All Latest News in Galway