Two women in Queensland were given incorrect cancer diagnoses due to a biopsy mix-up, leading to a major government investigation.
Both were BreastScreen Queensland patients who underwent mammograms in Rockhampton in November last year.
One woman was wrongly diagnosed with cancer and underwent unnecessary breast surgery, while the other, who actually had cancer, went months without treatment.
The error was discovered when no cancer was found in the woman who had surgery. Early investigations suggest government-run pathology labs were responsible.
Queensland Minister for Sport Tim Mander described the situation as “distressing” and assured that investigations were underway to prevent future mistakes.
Queensland Health has apologized to the affected patients and is providing them with support and care.
Officials have emphasized their commitment to ensuring quality healthcare and preventing similar errors in the future.
