Living on 'death row': Terminal Leeds woman claims hospital failed to spot her cancer twice

Anne Shaw, from Leeds, had beaten cancer twice already in her life and was in recovery.

However, she is now living with terminal ovarian cancer.

The 68-year-old said doctors failed to detect the return and spread of her cancer from June 2019 until September 2021, despite her claims it was “clearly obvious” on scans and while being examined by medics.

Anne is now worried she doesn’t “have long left” after the latest diagnosis.

“I feel like I’m on Death Row. I don’t have a quality of life anymore, I don’t have pride in my appearance. This has ruined what I’ve got left of my life, it’s absolutely devastating,” she said.

“Because no-one realised for more than two years that the cancer had come back, I have not got long left.

“The fact I’m so tired all the time and I have a stoma means that I can’t do many of the things I’d have wanted to.”

Anne explained that she flagged up her symptoms to the doctor she saw and had scans but the cancer wasn’t picked up due to no further examinations given.

She said: “The registrar I saw had clearly not read my medical records. He felt my stomach area briefly and told me I was fine, despite what I was telling him. If he’d have known my history of cancer, he really should have given me a more thorough examination.”

Now, Anne and her husband Louis are facing up to the reality that she may have only months left to live.

Doctors have warned there is nothing more that can be done in her treatment.

She said: “I try to get on with things as best I can, and not think ‘What if’ all the time, but it’s very hard.”

Anne, who was treated at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, is calling for a change in NHS policy to make it mandatory for two radiologists to analyse patients’ scans for recurring cancer.

“I would like to see a change so that two radiologists have to look at scans like mine together, so they can discuss and assess what they both see,” she explained.

“For me, it’s too late. But this could help to save someone else’s life, or at least give them the time or quality of life that I don’t have.”

Anne first got a breast cancer diagnosis in 2006 but after a lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes followed by chemotherapy doctors gave her the all-clear.

She was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

While she underwent surgery to remove her ovaries, and was again told she was cancer-free, in 2019 Anne returned to St James’s for scans in June and July.

After this Anne flagged up new symptoms such as tiredness and worsening pain, but claimed she was told she was fine.

By 2021, Anne’s condition had worsened and she was struggling badly with pain and fatigue.

Her GP then fast-tracked her to the oncology team at St James’s Hospital and her worst fears were confirmed, her cancer had returned.

Anne had to undergo major surgery and have a colostomy.

“My life has been turned upside down, everything has changed, all because of these two missed opportunities to find out that my cancer has returned”, she added.

“The stoma is particularly hard to live with, it’s absolutely horrendous, the most horrible thing I could imagine.”

Anne is now keen to meet with a representative of the Trust to discuss her case but claims this request has been declined.

“While it cannot help me, I would really like a controlled meeting. Actions have consequences, and if they were to listen to me, it may help prevent a repeat of a similar experience for somebody else,” she added.

Anne is now working with Slater and Gordon to secure a settlement over her case.

Dr Magnus Harrison, Chief Medical Officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are deeply sorry for the delay in diagnosing Anne’s cancer and the impact this had on Anne’s health. As soon as we were aware of the error, we met with Anne and explained we would investigate the reporting discrepancies.

"This is so that we can understand why and how it happened and what we can learn and improve. We have shared the findings from this investigation with Anne and we have shared the learning with our radiologists and radiographers.

“We apologise that Anne’s requests to meet have not been followed up and we will be contacting Anne as soon as possible to arrange a convenient time to meet”.