Woman underwent chemo, two boobs cut off after doctors wrongly diagnosed breast cancer

A mother-of-two had a double mastectomy and endured months of chemotherapy in the United Kingdom before doctors admitted they had misdiagnosed her with breast cancer

Sarah Boyle was told she had triple-negative breast cancer in 2016 and underwent several rounds of chemotherapy before having both breasts removed.

But recently, doctors at Royal Stoke University Hospital discovered her biopsy had been misread, leading to her misdiagnosis, The Sun, UK has reported.

Ms Boyle, then just 25, was then told that reconstructive surgery could increase the risk of her developing the disease in the future.

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While she was initially told her cancer treatment could lead to fertility issues, Ms Boyle went on to have a second child, Louis, who is now 13 months old.

Ms Boyle, now 28, lives in Stoke-on-Trent with her sons Teddy, Louis and her husband of five years, Steven, 31.

She was misdiagnosed by doctors following the birth of her youngest child.

She was later informed by her surgeon, Dr Sankaran Narayanan, that her biopsy had been incorrectly reported and it was confirmed that she did not have cancer.

Ms Boyle said: “Even now it is so difficult to try and describe what has happened to me. To be told you have cancer and it’s uncommon for someone your age was hard enough to take in.

“But then to be told after months of horrific treatment that it was all unnecessary is something I’m not sure I’ll ever fully come to terms with. It’s not just the physical effects that I have been left with but also the mental torture of what I’ve been through.

“A misdiagnosis of cancer can ruin people’s lives and some people may not be as fortunate to survive. It is vital to raise awareness of the consequences that families can be left to face because of errors.

“Anything that helps reduce the number of people affected by a misdiagnosis or allows others to receive treatment more quickly has to be welcomed.”

She is now calling for cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology to be more widely used in hospitals to avoid tragic blunders happening to other women.

Ms Boyle instructed lawyers to investigate the case who secured an admission of liability from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.

Sarah Sharples, a medical negligence lawyer who represented Ms Boyle, said: “Sarah has suffered significant psychological trauma as a result of what she has been through, and also continues to endure ongoing symptoms caused by her treatment.

“The use of technology should not replace human input but technological advances that can complement and assist medical professionals to improve care and lessen waiting times and anxiety for patients should be welcomed.”

A spokesperson said: “A misdiagnosis of this kind is exceptionally rare and we understand how devastating this has been for Sarah and her family.

“In addition to an unreserved apology to Sarah, the findings of the investigation have been shared with her and the case is now part of an on-going legal claim with which the Trust is co-operating fully.

“Ultimately the misreporting of the biopsy was a human error so as an extra safeguard all invasive cancer diagnoses are now reviewed by a second pathologist.”