Doctor Incorrectly Interprets Mammograms

Case Overview

This case takes place in New York involves a woman who was getting regular mammograms over a period of several years, which appeared to be consistently negative. Eventually, however, the patient received a mammogram which revealed a suspicious mass. Upon further examination of the mass, it was discovered to be an advanced case of breast cancer. Despite aggressive treatment of the woman’s cancer, she eventually succumbed to the disease, which had already metastasized to other areas in her body by the time it was first detected. In spite of the fact that her previous screenings had not detected anything suspicious, it was later discovered that a potentially worrying mass was present in an earlier mammogram. It is alleged that, had the mass in the earlier mammogram been properly identified, treatment could have begun much earlier, potentially saving the woman’s life.

Questions to the Oncology expert and their responses

Do you routinely treat patients similar to the one described in the case? Please explain.

At present, I only treat breast cancer patients. Thus, I have had extensive experience in diagnosing and treating patients similar to the one described in your case.

Would this patient have benefited from a better outcome if the diagnosis had been made in a more timely fashion?

Based on the information provided in the case description, it sounds like the films were misinterpreted - which is very unfortunate. As a result of this misread, the patient was diagnosed in a very late stage in her disease. Had she been diagnosed in an earlier stage, her prognosis would have certainly been different.

Have you ever served as an expert witness on a case similar to the one described above? If so, please explain.

I serve as the Director of the Breast Program at a top ranked cancer center / university medical center in NYC - it would be my pleasure to serve as an expert reviewer for this patient. Please let me know how I can be of assistance.

About the expert

This highly-qualified expert is double certified in Internal Medicine and Oncology. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology with Tenure at a top-ranking University, and is Co-Director of the Breast Cancer Program at an industry-leading Cancer Center. She completed her M.D. at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed her Internal Medicine and Oncology Fellowship training at Columbia University, where she also served as Chief Resident. She also completed a Masters degree in Biostatistics at Columbia University. She has published 188 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received numerous awards including the Ewig Award for Teaching Excellence, the AVON Foundation Medical Advancement Award and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Advanced Clinical Research Award. She has national leadership positions in the Southwest Oncology Group, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She has received numerous grants from the following esteemed sources; the American Cancer Society, Department of Defense, Susan Komen Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Irving Center for Clinical Research and the Avon Foundation for Women. She has been awarded a highly prestigious Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and was chosen into the first group for the American Society of Clinical Oncology Leadership Development Program. She is a principal investigator on several ongoing supportive care, treatment and ancillary studies, and has a large clinical research program that focuses solely on Breast Cancer.