Shock test swap: Cancer bungle shatters lives of two Qld women
An investigation has been launched after the biopsy results of two breast cancer patients were mixed up in a shocking lab bungle that resulted in an unnecessary surgery and an untreated tumour.
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The lives of two BreastScreen Queensland patients have been shattered by the wrong cancer diagnoses, sparking a high priority government probe into statewide laboratory protocols and the handling of biopsies.
Early investigations suggest government-run Pathology Queensland mixed up the biopsies of two women which led to one being wrongly diagnosed with cancer and the other incorrectly told they were in the clear.
It meant one woman had unnecessary breast surgery while the other unknowingly delayed lifesaving surgery and treatment for months.
The women attended Rockhampton BreastScreen for mammograms, where suspicious scans led to both having biopsies in early November last year.
BreastScreen Queensland, which is a state-run screening provider, refers the majority of their biopsies to Pathology Queensland – a service which falls under Queensland Health’s umbrella.
The biopsy mix-up didn’t come to light until no cancer was found in the woman when she underwent surgery.
Further investigation then revealed the woman who had been given the all-clear, did in fact have cancer. This patient has not yet had her surgery.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls conceded the mix-up was a “serious error” and said urgent work was under way to determine how it happened and what needed to be done to “reduce the risk of this happening again”.
“I want to assure the community that this matter is being addressed as a priority.”
A Queensland Health spokesman confirmed the department had apologised to both women, and offered support and care, for the critical error.
“While we are limited in what we can say due to patient confidentiality, we acknowledge the distress this incident has caused,” he said.
“Work began immediately upon discovery of the error and to identify what solutions could be put in place to prevent the risk of this happening again.
“On rare occasions the system doesn’t get it right but the community can be confident in the care we provide and in our commitment to addressing mistakes when they occur.”
Breast cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Queensland. Every year, close to 3800 Queensland women are diagnosed and around 600 women die from the disease.
BreastScreen Queensland hit the headlines in 2019 when court documents filed in the Supreme Court revealed allegations that early signs of breast cancer went undetected in more than 100 Queensland women with claims radiologists were seriously overworked.
The court documents claim one radiologist cleared 110 patients of cancer who were later diagnosed with the disease during the two years to December 2016.
It was also claimed that another senior radiologist had 30 former patients later diagnosed with cancer over the same period.
The allegations were made in a $1.2m lawsuit brought by then 51-year-old Louise Perram-Fisk, who claimed that BreastScreen had failed to detect her cancer.
There was an out-of-court settlement. Ms Perram-Fisk died in 2023.
Cancer Council Queensland acting head of cancer prevention Grant Brown said the biopsy mix-up is a worry but should not deter women from trusting the system.
“Early detection is a critical factor when it comes to not only breast cancer but survival of all types of cancer so we urge Queenslanders to be aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, check their breasts regularly, and see their doctor if they notice anything unusual,” he said.
Only 51 per cent of eligible Queenslanders participated in breast cancer screening through BreastScreen Queensland in 2022-23.
Since the BreastScreen program began in 1991, breast cancer mortality rates in Queensland have fallen from 68 women per 100,000to 44 women per 100,000.
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