In England, a woman is filing a cervical cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit claiming that her cancer was missed because of a state funded hospital’s negligence.

Plaintiff Julie O., a resident of Bristol, U.K., was referred to a Southmead hospital because she complained of consistent bleeding from her cervix.

She says that after undergoing several tests, hospital staff repeatedly told her she did not have cervical cancer. Instead, the doctors at Southmead told her she had a cervical condition known as cervical ectropion.

Cervical ectropion is when cervical cells that should be located on the interior of the cervix are present on the outside of the vagina. Symptoms may include bleeding and excessive discharge.

In September 2014, Julie alleges she had a Pap smear test that came back negative. A Pap smear test is the test that gathers cervical cells and tests them for abnormalities. Abnormalities may indicate the beginning stages of cervical cancer.

Pap smear tests have drastically reduced the amount of women who die each year from cervical cancer, which in the past, was one of the most common causes of deaths from cancer in women in the United States.

Julie told BBC News, “Only my periods were changing as they weren’t as regular but then you think that’s your age so that would be normal and the symptoms didn’t start until 12 months after that. I started bleeding, so I didn’t have a period for a year and then I suddenly started bleeding. I did not stop bleeding at all and I bled from 2015 continuously until I was diagnosed.”

The hospital at Southmead told her that she would need to undergo treatments that included a coil and hormone therapy. She then was on a waiting list for a procedure known as a cervical ablation. During this waiting period, she decided to contact a private doctor.

When she contacted a doctor not associated with Southmead hospital, she was immediately diagnosed with cervical cancer. The growth, her doctor said, had reached the size of 4.5 centimeters. Julie is now undergoing treatment for cervical cancer.

The North Bristol NHS Trust who oversees Southmead hospital has apologized to Julie. She has filed a cervical cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit against the hospital citing negligence.

A representative of the trust told BBC News, “We have recently shared with [Julie] our review relating to her care and would like to reiterate the apologies we made to her. Our relevant healthcare staff are keen to meet to discuss any concerns or queries which remain and to apologise in person.”

Cervical Cancer Misdiagnosis

Pap smear tests are designed to catch cervical cancer early and women are encouraged to get them every 1-5 years. However, if they are misread, a woman may be living with cervical cancer without knowing it. This misdiagnosis may be the fault of technicians, medical personnel or medical facilities that are negligent.

If a woman has had a “negative” Pap smear test, but it was later found to be positive or she developed cervical cancer, she may be able to file a cervical cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit.

Filing a cervical cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit cannot bring someone back to life or heal cancer, but it may help to alleviate the financial burden of lost wages and medical costs. Contacting an experienced attorney can help you decide if filing a cervical cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit is the right path for you.