From CTV, March 19, 2008:

Beverly Green, 45, testified that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. Initial tests indicated she would not benefit from hormonal drug treatment. But retesting at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2005 found that her initial test results were incorrect.

Green said she was “very angry and very disappointed” with Eastern Health.

She added that she didn’t even know about the retests until 13 months after they were conducted.

Making matters worse, said Green, was the way her oncologist reacted when she said she wanted to see her medical charts.

“He had the results of my liver biopsy. He took it, and he said, ‘Is this what you want?’ And he threw it at me,” she told reporters after testifying.

“I was startled,” the Canadian Cancer Society’s Peter Dawe told NTV News, upon hearing Green’s testimony.

“To have someone walk through the story and look at the dates that are involved and to know that someone is diagnosed and the test results changed — and yet it takes 13 months for the person to be notified even after the information goes on the chart, that is startling. It’s one story. Unfortunately, it may be repeated.”

Another patient, Elizabeth White, told the inquiry she didn’t find out about her inaccurate test result until just before the 2007 winter holidays — eight years after her diagnosis.

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