Woman's cancer diagnosis after wrong smear results

A woman has expressed her anger after being diagnosed with cervical cancer more than two years after her smear test result was incorrectly recorded as normal.

Amie Wood, 39, from Bewdley, Worcestershire, had a smear test that was reported as negative by the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust in October 2019.

Although negative, it showed high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that can lead to cancer, the HPV persisted and she was subsequently diagnosed with cervical cancer in January 2022.

The NHS trust said it expressed its regret and apologised to Ms Wood.

Following her diagnosis, Ms Wood had a hysterectomy.

She told the BBC: "I'm a mom of two girls, a single mom. I couldn't risk my life.

"I am angry over it because it's not only [meant] I can't have any children again, [but also] I've lost my trust medically.

"For me it's been a mental battle. The constant worry, am I going to have cancer again somewhere else?"

Ms Wood said she suffered increased anxiety about her health, and felt unable to return to her part-time second job as a personal trainer.

"To be diagnosed with cervical cancer and undergo a hysterectomy was heartbreaking enough, but then I found out that my smear results had been misreported and it could have all been avoided," she said.

"To this day, I still struggle to comprehend everything I've been through and how close my children could have been to losing their mum.

"It's made my anxiety and worries even worse, which I didn't think was possible. It's also deeply upsetting that the choice of having more children has been taken from me."

Smear tests involves taking a sample of cells from the cervix during an appointment, the NHS says. If any abnormal cells are found, they can be removed or monitored to prevent cancer developing.

Ms Wood is working with a specialist medical negligence lawyer from firm Irwin Mitchell, which said it was working towards a settlement.

The firm said that the trust accepted that if the smear had been correctly reported, Ms Wood would have been referred within weeks for excision treatment and would have avoided the development of cancer and a hysterectomy.

Irwin Mitchell added that through NHS Resolution, the trust admitted liability and a breach of duty in care, in that the result given was "incorrect."

"The past few years have been incredibly difficult for Amie, having to come to terms with her diagnosis and then finding out that it could have been avoided," said Kathryn Salt, who is representing Ms Wood.

The firm added that it was vital that people continued to take part in the cervical cancer screening.

A spokesperson for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said: "We would like to express our sincere regret and apologies to Ms Wood.

"The trust always strives to deliver safe and appropriate care to all our patients. Sadly, on this occasion we fell short.

"We are working with Ms Wood's representatives to achieve an appropriate resolution and will ensure all learnings from this case are taken forward."

Ms Wood told the BBC: "An apology is an apology but it doesn't take back what I have had to go through, what I will always have to go through mentally."

However, she still emphasises the importance of smear tests.

"I would still 100% have a smear. Smears do save lives, it's proven," Ms Wood said.

"So 100% I would encourage anyone to have smears and to talk about it because for a lot of girls it's an embarrassing taboo subject."

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