Latest news with #smeartests
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Woman (54) with terminal cervical cancer settles case over smear tests
A 54-year-old woman who has terminal cervical cancer has settled a High Court action against the HSE and a US laboratory over the alleged misinterpretation of smear tests. The action related to five smear tests taken between 2011 and 2018. Her senior counsel, Patrick Treacy, instructed by Cian O'Carroll solicitors, told the court on Wednesday that the case had been resolved after mediation this week. The settlement against the HSE and the US laboratory Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, with an address in New Jersey, is without an admission of liability. READ MORE In the proceedings it was claimed that as a result of alleged delay, the woman lost the opportunity of cure, her life expectancy has been severely impaired and her enjoyment of life has been catastrophically damaged. It was claimed her cancer had been allegedly allowed to develop and spread unidentified, unmonitored and untreated until she was ultimately diagnosed following her attendance at a hospital emergency department in late 2024. It was claimed that the woman had a smear test under the CervicalCheck screening programme in February 2011 and the report showed a lesion, and a procedure was arranged with a follow smear arranged for six months later. She had another smear test in December 2011 which came back as negative, and also in June 2012, which was also negative. At the end of December 2013, it was claimed the woman had another smear test and cells of uncertain significance were detected, and a referral was made to a colposcopy clinic. A further smear test in October 2014 came back as negative, and the woman also had a smear test in August 2018, which was returned as negative. She became unwell on holiday last year and on her return home she was referred for review, where an MRI scan showed a cervical tumour, and she began chemotherapy. It was claimed that had any of the five smear tests been correctly reported, there would have been a different approach to her care and she would have been advised to undergo a hysterectomy. It was contended that on the balance of probabilities, her high grade pre-cancer would have been cured and it would not have developed into advanced cancer lesion requiring intensive palliative chemotherapy. All of the claims were denied. Noting the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said he was delighted to hear the case had been resolved.
BreakingNews.ie
25-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman (54) with terminal cervical cancer settles action against HSE and US lab
A 54-year old woman who has terminal cervical cancer has settled a High Court action against the HSE and a US laboratory over the alleged misinterpretation of smear tests. The woman, who cannot be identified by order of the court, has incurable stage four cervical cancer. Advertisement The action related to five smear tests taken between 2011 and 2018. Her counsel, Patrick Treacy SC instructed by solicitor Cian O'Carroll, told the court the case had been resolved after mediation this week. The settlement against the HSE and the US laboratory Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, with an address in New Jersey, is without an admission of liability. The action had been case managed by the High Court because of the woman's diagnosis. Advertisement In the proceedings, it was claimed as a result of delay, the woman lost the opportunity of cure and her life expectancy has been severely impaired and her enjoyment of life has been catastrophically damaged. It was claimed her cancer had been allowed to develop and spread unidentified, unmonitored, and untreated until she was ultimately diagnosed following her attendance at a hospital emergency department in late 2024. It was claimed that the woman had a smear test under the CervicalCheck screening programme in February 2011 and the report showed a lesion and a procedure was arranged with a follow smear arranged for six months later. She had another smear test in December 2011 which came back as negative and also in June 2012 which was also negative. Advertisement At the end of December 2013, it was claimed the woman had another smear test and cells of uncertain significance were detected and a referral was made to a colposcopy clinic. A further smear test in October 2014 came back as negative and she also had a smear test in August 2018 which was returned as negative. She became unwell on holiday last year and on her return home she was referred for review where an MRI scan showed a cervical tumour and she began chemotherapy. Ireland Psychiatric report on alleged Parnell Square attac... Read More It was claimed had any of the five smear tests been correctly reported, there would have been a different approach to her care and she would have been advised to undergo a hysterectomy. It was contended that, on the balance of probabilities, her high grade pre cancer would have been cured and it would not have developed into advanced cancer lesion requiring intensive palliative chemotherapy. All of the claims were denied. Noting the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said he was delighted to hear the case had been resolved.
Irish Times
06-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Leona Macken on cancer in Ireland: ‘Mammies, daughters, sisters are being ripped from their families'
Leona Macken says she is fighting to stay alive for her daughters. The 38-year-old woman with incurable cervical cancer received an apology on Tuesday from the HSE over 'failings' that occurred in two smear tests before her diagnosis in 2023. Leona, from Cork, and her husband, Alan, from Dublin, have two young daughters – Quin is eight and Drew is about to turn six. In an interview with The Irish Times at their home in Artane, Leona says: 'That's what keeps me going. I want them to look back and see how much I wanted to stay here, and how much I fought to stay here. READ MORE 'All I've ever wanted to do is give my kids a nice childhood that they don't have to recover from when they're adults. And I just feel like it's a bit out of my hands now. I mean, they're going to be affected, no matter what.' Leona sued the HSE over two cervical smear tests, one in 2016 and one in 2020, claiming they were incorrectly reported as negative. Medical expert evidence given in her case indicated that the test by US company Quest Diagnostics, which analyses smear tests for the HSE, should not have been reported as negative and concluded that the delay in identifying precancerous abnormalities directly resulted in her developing cervical cancer. Despite the clear smears, she knew something was wrong. She thought she might be experiencing polycystic ovaries, endometriosis or perimenopause, but didn't think 'for one second' that it was cancer. [ CervicalCheck patients have improved healthcare with their advocacy, study finds Opens in new window ] However, the hairdresser was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer in June 2023. She had a hysterectomy followed by chemoradiotherapy. Despite intensive treatment, a recurrence of her cancer was diagnosed in early 2025. The mother of two now has stage 4 cancer meaning that it is treatable, to an extent, but not curable. She has asked doctors about her prognosis but hasn't been given an exact answer. 'They said: 'Years, but short years.' I know statistically it's kind of five years' time from when you were diagnosed. There are some women who got six, seven, eight years. I'm just determined to get longer again. There's nothing I won't try, there's nowhere I won't go,' she says. She has been looking into clinical trials in the US. For now she is still receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy in Dublin. She said her pain and symptoms have improved, so she is hopeful for good news at her next scan. She says she is open with her daughters about her illness but tries to protect them as much as possible. Her oldest daughter, Quin, will often ask: 'Will this medicine work?' to which she will reply: 'Hopefully, I'm really, really trying.' 'I'll never say: 'Yeah, I'll be okay,' because I don't know if I'll be okay.' I wasn't dragged through a trial, thank God ... but these court cases shouldn't be happening in the first place — Leona Macken Her daughters cried when they found out she was going to lose her hair, so she tried to make the experience positive for them. 'I let them cut it and I let them shave it. I was just thinking, if they come home from school some day and I'm sitting here with no hair, it would be such a shock to them. 'So, we tried to make it fun. We were crying, they were crying, we were hugging, we were laughing, but we tried to make it as fun as possible. 'They each did a plait and cut the plait out, and they kept a plait.' Her family and the wider community have been a big support since her diagnosis and 'keep me going'. Leona would 'love to sit down with the Minister for Health, woman to woman'. Her solicitor Cian O'Carroll has contacted the office of the Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill , in a bid to set up a meeting. 'I would love to just sit down with her and just speak to her, woman to woman, let her see that I'm not a statistic, I'm a person, and there's so many more of me,' says Leona. 'It's people's lives – mammies, daughters, sisters are being ripped from their families, and the devastation that is left is massive. 'The way I look at it is: I feel like I won't know any different, I'll be gone. My kids and my husband and my family will never be the same again. I'm not the only one, and I really want to stress that, because even though I'm talking about my story, it's not just my story.' Leona Macken. Photograph: Alan Betson Speaking to RTÉ radio during the week, the Minister apologised to Leona and said women should not have to fight for access to their medical history. Leona says she is aware of a number of other women who are in a similar position to her but not doing as well, so she feels compelled to speak out. She wants to 'stop another family from going through this' but fears she won't be the last person affected by misreading of smears. [ Woman who received HSE apology over cancer diagnosis failings encourages women to get a smear test Opens in new window ] Despite her faith being shaken in the system, she believes women should be offered smears on a more regular basis. 'It doesn't hurt. It takes minutes. It could prolong your life,' she says. She says her two daughters will '100 per cent' get the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), viruses that can cause cancer, and smear tests when they are older. She says questions remain as to how her smear tests were incorrectly read, but she has 'let go' of the initial anger she felt. 'I was angry at the start, but I had to let go of the anger because it was not doing any good, and it was kind of ruining the happiness of now,' she says. 'I'm not angry any more, I'm more worried. I'm just worried about my kids now, and other women going through this. 'I just want something positive to come from this. I don't want this to be a negative thing. I know it's a horror story, and I know people are horrified. They're only hearing about it now; we've been dealing with this for two years. 'So, for me now, I've let go of the anger and think: These the cards I've been dealt with, what can I do with it? What good can come of this?' That's where I'm at now.' On Tuesday, an apology was read in the High Court as she settled her action against the HSE. She told The Irish Times that while the apology cannot change what happened to her, it was still 'a big deal for me'. 'I felt like it just validated everything I'm saying,' she says. 'I know that changes nothing, but hopefully, going forward, it'll change something. 'I mean, there's baby steps being taken. I wasn't dragged through a trial, thank God ... but these court cases shouldn't be happening in the first place.' The letter of apology from the chief executive of the National Screening Service, Fiona Murphy, stated, on behalf of the service and the HSE, that it wished to apologise to Leona and her family 'for the failings that have occurred and led to your diagnosis'. 'I wish to express our deep regret to you and your family and acknowledge the many challenges that you have faced as a result of your diagnosis.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I thought my contraception was behind a weird symptom - actually it was cancer that rapidly kills half of all victims
A 26 year-old woman with advanced cervical cancer has warned women never to miss regular smear tests—after she mistook her symptoms for complications caused by the contraceptive coil. Jasmin McKee, from Southampton, began to experience bleeding after sex in February last year, but assumed it was the result of a recent procedure to fit her intrauterine device (IUD). The financial operations manager had also 'put off' her cervical cancer screening for a few months due to nervousness about the procedure. 'I'd had quite heavy periods and bad back pain and would be really tired but I always put it down to hormones and my period,' she said. 'The doctors did give me a really long sheet of information about potential side effects [of the coil] but I didn't read it. 'No one ever wants to think the worst so that's why I didn't really think anything of the bleeding and just brushed it off.' But when she eventually did attend her cervical screening, which is offered to all women aged 25 to 64 on the NHS, doctors discovered abnormal cells. This led to a biopsy which determined the cells were 'high risk' of developing into cancer. Subsequent blood tests and scans led to a diagnosis of stage three cervical cancer in September 2024—which meant the the disease has spread outside of the cervix, typically to the pelvic wall or to nearby lymph nodes. Only half of patients who have their cancer spotted at this stage will live for more than five years. Ms McKee decided against having a hysterectomy or starting chemotherapy to safeguard her chances of having children one day. Instead, she underwent laser treatment to remove the tumours. It's like the world stops moving a little bit,' Ms McKee said of her diagnosis. 'They're using all these big words and talking at you in a way that's really hard to grasp. 'It's that numb feeling, I don't think I've stopped feeling like that. It's like I'm living in 'the in-between'. Unfortunately, the laser treatment failed to destroy all of the cancer. So in February this year the festival-lover began radiotherapy in attempt to destroy more of the disease, and underwent egg freezing to preserve her fertility. She has since undergone two cycles of chemotherapy and decided to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust charity, along with £2,000 she has raised. 'I thought, if I'm going to lose my hair I might as well do it on my terms and do something good with it,' she said. 'The doctor said it was likely I won't be able to have children naturally and that's the worst outcome for me. 'I'm someone that goes to a lot of festivals and gigs and I've had to cancel all my festivals this year so that's quite upsetting. 'The financial burden is worrying. Luckily I'm working at the moment but as the treatment goes on I'm not going to be able to work. Ms Mckee is urging people to go for life-saving cervical screenings as soon as they turn 25. 'I'm grateful I had the cervical screening done,' she said. 'If I hadn't had it done then I probably would've just kept on putting it off. 'They're quite persistent in sending letters and texts and stuff to say you're due for a smear test. 'You can sit and overthink it and you might read other women's experiences online but it's so easy to do. It's literally 10 to 15 minutes of your time and it can save your life.' Roughly two women in Britain every day die from cervical cancer, which famously killed TV personality Jade Goody at the age of just 27. The disease is often called a 'silent killer' because its symptoms can be easily mistaken for less serious problems, such as heavy periods and exhaustion. But if the signs are recognised early, the chance of surviving for at least five years is roughly 95 per cent. This drops to 15 per cent if the cancer is detected at later stages, when it has spread to other areas of the body. In about 99 per cent of cases, cervical cancer is caused by an infection of a high-risk type of human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted via sexual activity. There are more than 100 types of HPV, and only around 30 can affect the genital area. Many people never show symptoms, as they can arise years after infection, and the majority of cases go away without treatment. However, in some cases, it can cause the genital tissues to grow abnormally, resulting over many years in cervical cancer. There is a vaccine for HPV. It is more than 80 per cent effective and available in much of the developed world. It is a two-dose vaccine, now available for children between ages 11 and 12. The shots come 12 months apart. For people who missed that window, a three-dose shot is available to young people aged 15 to 26. The vaccine has been offered to girls in England and Wales since September 2008 before being widened to include boys since 2019. All women in the UK aged between 25 and 64 are also invited for regular cervical screenings, which serve as the primary way of diagnosing.
