Cancer retest mother's all clear

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A mother who feared she may have wrongly been given the all-clear for breast cancer is told she does not have the illness after retests.

Fiona Williams, 26, was originally tested at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, where it has emerged 12 patients were given inaccurate findings.

The hospital is reviewing the pathology results of 4,500 cases.

Ms Williams, from Wrexham, who waited five days for her results, said she was "relieved" at the news.

But she added: "I just wish the hospital had handled it a bit better.

"There would have been a lot less stress involved if they had moved quicker and actually let us know about these problems, rather than people like me finding out on the television news in the evening.

"I am relieved though. I had a telephone call this morning telling me I had the all-clear."

Dr Roger Williams has apologised to patients affected

The errors related to tissue samples "reported on" by pathologist Roger Williams during April 2006 to September 2007.

Dr Williams, who stood down as locum shortly after the problems came to light last September, has said he is "deeply sorry".

Three of the 12 patients given the wrong results were incorrectly told they were clear of cancer.

Two of the 12 have since died, although the hospital has said they were correctly diagnosed by other means and it was confident their treatment would not have differed.

The cause of the two deaths has not been revealed.

Ms Williams, who has a six-year-old daughter Kara, was among almost 400 patients who contacted a hospital helpline within a day of it being launched.

Review

She was given the all-clear in 2006 for breast cancer, and again a year later after she discovered a lump in the other breast.

The North East Wales NHS Trust has said it is investigating every tissue test reported on by Dr Williams from April 2006 to September 2007.

Patients have been told it will take up to 12 weeks to complete the work.

They will be contacted as soon as the results of their tests are confirmed, and the trust said most patients would not have to wait that long.

All those who contact the helpline and whose test was reported on by Dr Williams have been told they will be contacted again within three working days.

Anyone who is worried can contact the hospital's helpline on 01978 726155.