11 UK Women Mistakenly Told Screenings Showed No Breast Cancer

Eleven women in England have developed breast cancer after being erroneously told that their screenings were normal, according to health officials at the National Health Service (NHS).

The women had routine screenings at a clinic in west London and were mistakenly sent the wrong letter that said the findings were normal.

"The effect of this error was that the women's treatment may have been delayed, in some cases by a few weeks and in others months. The longest delay was 21 months," said John Cooper, chief executive of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, in a statement. "We deeply regret the considerable distress caused to these women and we have tried to do everything we can to ensure they receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible."

The errors were found during a review of 104,000 patients, which also showed that 77 patients had to undergo a repeat screening after their mammograms were lost.

Other Sources: London Media