Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis

“You have HER2 positive breast cancer,” are words that no one ever wants to hear. For many patients at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital, this diagnosis changed their world forever. Many patients underwent chemo therapy, leading to painful, lifelong side-effects. Some had mastectomies, and some had hysterectomies, permanently robbing them of their ability to conceive. A number of these patients received these treatments unnecessarily as they were misdiagnosed.

Attorneys at G&E are investigating an unthinkable tragedy where patients at Atrium Health were misdiagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer. This type of breast cancer is aggressive, and tends to grow faster than other types of cancer, and it also tends to spread and recur. Likewise, aggressive treatments may be used to treat HER2 positive breast cancer, depending on the size of the tumor.

Lab mistakes made at Atrium Health have led to unnecessary treatments for the wrong type of breast cancer. Many patients who sought care at the North Carolina facility could have been treated without chemotherapy, but instead were subject to painful, sometimes permanent side-effects, such as:

• Unnecessary mastectomy or hysterectomy
• Neuropathy (potentially permanent tingling/numbness in the hands or feet)
• Hair loss
• Memory issues
• Unnecessary implantation of a chemo port catheter
• Mental health disorders (i.e. anxiety, depression)

It is possible that potentially hundreds of patients were affected by Atrium Health’s negligence. Recent episodes of misdiagnosis point to a checkered history—federal investigations and “corrective measures” had been previously ordered on the health system regarding disease misdiagnoses (including cancer) leading to unnecessary treatment. Specifically, in 2018, more than two dozen patients were found to be victims of “faulty pathology” lab tests. According to the hospital, in two of those cases, patients who underwent radical cancer surgery and radiation were later determined to have been cancer-free prior to treatment. The apparent culture of error acceptance at Atrium Health may prove to be detrimental to many breast cancer patients.