Misdiagnosed and Searching for Answers: Women Continue to Fight for Justice After Unnecessary Cancer Treatments

Our clients have endured the unthinkable: receiving news that they were incorrectly diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer after enduring invasive, permanent treatments for the disease. Precious time in their lives was missed—even the ability to have children of their own, for some—marked by stress, pain, suffering, and costly medical care. All because of a medical error.

Having your doctor tell you that you don’t have a certain cancer sounds like it would be a joyful, relieving piece of news. But for many patients at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist medical center in North Carolina, this news came too late. They had already received cancer treatments that would alter their lives forever, such as hysterectomies and mastectomies, after being told from a trusted medical center they had HER2+ breast cancer. Patients lost years of their lives and time with loved ones because they were treated for cancer they did not have. And now they have questions, and are demanding accountability for what went wrong.

Why were their diagnoses incorrect to begin with? Who was responsible for these errors? What can they do now? The women’s health attorneys at Grant & Eisenhofer are staunch advocates for these patients, helping them seek justice for their suffering and to see that these errors don’t continue to happen.

<>HER2+ Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis: Our Clients’ Painful Stories of Shock, Loss, and Hope 

A breast cancer diagnosis is one of the most terrifying moments of a person’s life—but being told that the diagnosis was wrong can be equally devastating and confusing. Unfortunately, this exact scenario happened to many patients at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in North Carolina.

The alarming issue came to light in 2018 when two dozen Atrium Health patients were found to be victims of faulty pathology lab tests, which led to serious diagnostic errors. Upon this realization, a government report indicated that the medical center had to re-evaluate over 9,000 cancer cases. The hospital’s risk management center contacted misdiagnosed individuals informing them of the situation—many of whom had already undergone treatment for their diagnosis.

Some of these patients had been misdiagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer. This type is an aggressive form of breast cancer that requires intensive treatment. Some misdiagnosed patients at Atrium Health actually had HER2 negative breast cancer, which may have required less aggressive intervention.

Among these tragic cases was a woman just 27 years old. She was told she had HER2 positive breast cancer and moved quickly to treat it. She underwent chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and other treatments, losing her ability to conceive a child—only to be informed by Atrium Health years later that there had been a mistake. She went through the pain and suffering of these cancer treatments unnecessarily, and was left with the devastation of never being able to have the children she planned to have in future.

She then turned to the medical negligence attorneys at G&E to “find out what went so horribly wrong, and hold accountable all those responsible for shattering [my] life.”

Many patients have “put their full faith, trust, and confidence in Atrium Health, the nation’s fifth largest non-profit health system, to diligently, professionally, and accurately diagnose and treat [them]”, says G&E attorney Lisa Weinstein, whose clients have been misdiagnosed with HER2 breast cancer.

These misdiagnoses point towards a larger pattern. While the majority of the instances trace back to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, similar concerns have emerged at other facilities, including Novant Health, also in North Carolina. Attorneys at G&E, representing several affected individuals, is actively investigating additional reports from patients who may have been misdiagnosed elsewhere.

What You Can Do If You're Concerned 

If you’re undergoing treatment for HER2+ breast cancer and have concerns about the accuracy of your diagnosis, it’s critical to speak with your oncologist. A second review of your diagnosis may be warranted.

If you’ve been informed by Atrium Health, Novant Health, or another institution that your diagnosis was incorrect, we offer free consultations to discuss your unique situation with our attorneys.