§ CASE LIBRARY · CANCER MISDIAGNOSIS & DELAYED DIAGNOSIS

Cancer Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis cases,
decided by the courts.

Published judgments of the courts of England and Wales in cancer misdiagnosis & delayed diagnosis claims, summarised in plain English and linked to their source. Claims that failed are included, because they show what has to be proved.

Judgments here

4

Claimant succeeded

3

Typical range

£30,000+

Largest stated sum

£16,500

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Claimant succeeded

Wilma Agnes Cullen v Dr Ruth Henniker-Major

[2024] EWHC 2809 (KB)·2024·Damages assessed at trial

A GP saw Ms Cullen three times over five weeks with a persistent cough, sore throat and tiredness but did not make an urgent cancer referral; her laryngeal cancer was diagnosed at stage III about three months later. Liability was admitted, and the trial dealt with disputed care costs and the defendant's allegation that she had been fundamentally dishonest, which the judge rejected.

A delayed cancer referral claim turns on what extra treatment the delay caused; here the admitted delay meant chemotherapy, a total laryngectomy and neck dissections that earlier diagnosis would have avoided. Social media posts relied on to allege dishonesty were found not to contradict her evidence.

Claim failed

Dalton v Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

[2019] EWHC 832 (QB)·2019·Liability decided at trial

A 38-year-old woman with a hard breast lump had a mammogram and ultrasound that looked benign and was discharged without a biopsy; cancer was found in 2013. Yip J accepted that a responsible body of breast surgeons would not have biopsied on those findings.

Triple assessment does not always require a biopsy where imaging is reassuring. A later cancer diagnosis does not by itself prove the earlier clinic decision was negligent.

Claimant succeeded

Gallardo v Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

[2017] EWHC 3147 (QB)·2017·Liability and damages decided at trial

After surgery at Charing Cross Hospital in 2001 the patient was never told his tumour was malignant or that he needed regular CT surveillance, and the cancer recurred undetected until 2010. The court found a continuing duty to inform him of his diagnosis and follow-up needs which the Trust failed to discharge.

Hospitals must tell patients the result of their treatment and the follow-up they need; failing to communicate a cancer diagnosis and the need for monitoring is negligent.

Claimant succeeded£16,500

Muller v King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

[2017] EWHC 128 (QB)·2017·Liability and damages decided at trial

A biopsy of a non-healing foot wound was reported by a histopathologist as scar tissue when it was in fact melanoma. The judge held the signs of malignancy were plain on the slides and found the Trust liable, but awarded only £16,500 because the cancer had probably already metastasised.

A misread biopsy can be negligent even though pathology involves judgement. Damages depend on what the delay actually changed, which can be modest where the disease had already spread.

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Contains information licensed under the Open Justice - Licence v2.0. Judgments from Find Case Law, The National Archives. Summaries are ours; amounts only where printed in the judgment.

This guide is general information about the law in England and Wales, not legal advice about your case. ClaimGavel is run by Costart Projects Ltd on behalf of Tomlin & Partners, a specialist medical negligence firm regulated by the SRA. The free assessment on this page is an AI overview to show you roughly where you stand; a solicitor confirms the position in a free, no-obligation conversation.

Cancer Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis Cases — Real UK Court Judgments | ClaimGavel