Pap smear screening has become an extremely valuable tool for detecting and preventing the possibility of cervical cancer early on. However, the process is not infallible, and is especially left open to human error. Indeed, a misread Pap smear can cause serious issues for patients, even leading them to believe that they are cancer-free until it is too late for effective treatment.

A major misread Pap smear scandal occurred in Ireland when a government-funded Pap smear program incorrectly reported to hundreds of women that their tests did not show signs of cervical cancer. The women were later diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2010 and 2014.

Of the 209 women reportedly affected by the misread Pap smear scandal, 17 have died. Authorities believe that more than just these 209 women may have been affected in the scandal.

One of the injured Irish women has settled her case for $8.74 million. The plaintiff, Emma M., is a single mother of five, and is now suffering from serious cervical cancer. Her lawsuit alleged that had the Pap smear tests not been misread, she would have been diagnosed and treated for cervical cancer much earlier on, and thus would not now be terminally ill.

Pap Smear Screening

Pap smear screening is a valuable tool for detecting the presence of cervical cancer in patients early on, allowing the disease to be caught and treated before it has a chance to develop.

A Pap smear screening collects cells from a patient’s cervix, which are then examined for any evidence of cancer or abnormalities that may indicate the possibility of a future diagnosis with cervical cancer. This allows a patient who shows signs of cancer to undergo preventative treatment, which can stop the cancer entirely.

In the last few decades, the use of Pap smear screening has reduced the rate of cervical cancer by 60 percent. Now, women who regularly undergo Pap smear screenings are rarely diagnosed with cervical cancer—either because they did not have signs of the disease in the first place, or because it was caught early enough to be treated.

People at risk of cervical cancer (anyone with a cervix) are asked to undergo Pap smear screening regularly. The American Cancer Society encourages women age 21 to 29 to receive Pap smears every three years. Between the ages of 30 and 65, the suggested regularity reduces to every five years.

Unfortunately, some who receive a Pap smear screening that clears them of cervical cancer risk may later end up with a cervical cancer diagnosis. This may be due to the negligence of medical labs for failure to diagnose cervical cancer early on. For instance, a medical lab may have misread Pap smear results, even though the cancer was in fact there.

A misread Pap smear can mean that signs of cancer are not detected early on, and that a patient is only diagnosed when the cancer has become far more serious, such as when it has already progressed to Stage 3 or Stage 4, which is much more difficult to treat and much more deadly.

Filing a Misread Pap Smear Lawsuit

If you believe your Pap smear failed because of a medical lab’s failure to diagnose cervical cancer, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

Filing a misread Pap smear lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by cervical cancer, nor can it bring a loved one back to life. But filing a lawsuit can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses, hospital stays, and lost wages.