A mother-of-two today (Mon) told the General Medic

A mother-of-two today (Mon) told the General Medical Council of her horror when a bungling cancer surgeon unnecessarily removed her breast.

The 44-year-old awoke from a operation to find that consultant surgeon William Thomson (corr) had performed a mastectomy to her right breast.

It later emerged he had not carried out a biopsy first – and the woman did not have cancer.

When she complained of feeling ‘down’ after surgery Thomson allegedly told her: ‘You were lucky – get on with your life.

‘

The GMC heard the scandal took place at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, when the victim went there with a lump in her breast.

After having ultrasound and a mamogram the woman – referred to as Mrs A – claims Thomson told her she had cancer and it would be best to have the breast removed.

He said that there was no need to have a biopsy because he was ’99.

9 per cent sure’ of his diagnosis, the committee was told.

It was only after the operation that tests showed the lump was benign.

Mrs A, from Lanarkshire said: ‘I was very distressed.

I think anybody in my position would have been.

‘At a meeting a few days later he told me that he had not slept for a couple of nights because he had something to tell me.

It was benign.

‘It took a second to sink in.

But I realised then ”great I don’t have cancer.

” I was still under a lot of stress and nothing seemed to sink in properly.

‘I could not understand why I had had this done.

‘

The hearing was told that Mrs A visited Thomson almost two months after the operation and told him she was feeling low.

His response amazed her.

‘He wasn’t very nice at all.

I said: ”I have been pretty down” and he more or less told me: ”You’re lucky, you don’ have cancer.

”

‘He said get on with your life.

At one stage he said that it was not like losing a child, or going through divorce neither of which I had experienced.

‘

‘It was the last straw.

When I came out of the room I just went to pieces.

‘

After the woman complained, Thomson wrote a letter apologising for offending her, saying he did not intend to.

Mrs A also claims that she was first shown the results of the operation in a mirror after her husband had been asked to leave the consultation room.

She added: ‘It upset me because my husband had been with me throughout and I didn’t think it was right that he should leave.

I didn’t realise that that was what was going to happen.

‘

Jane Sullivan, for the GMC, said the blunder occurred after Mrs A found the lump and had surgery on November 8 1997.

Thomson admits not performing a biopsy, but said he was ‘shocked and distressed’ when he was told the lump was benign.

But Mrs Sullivan said: ‘We accept he was generally motivated to act in the best interests of the patient but he took an unnecessary risk, which we say no competent breast practitioner ought to have taken.

‘It resulted in devastating consequences for the patient who received an unnecessary mastectomy.

It is our case that it was no simple misjudgement, but amounted to serious professional misconduct.

‘

Thomson, Of Brownside Avenue, Cambuslang, Glasgow, denies professional misconduct.

The hearing continues.

ends

addbreast.