A CHESHUNT widow whose husband died after cancer of his jaw was misdiagnosed has launched a legal battle for compensation of more than £300,000.
Father-of-two Stephen Pickin, 42, died when the highly aggressive tumour recurred and spread to his hip and spine.
Now his widow Sharon Pickin is demanding damages from Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, saying her husband could have lived for 15 years with the correct treatment.
A pathologist investigating tissue from the original tumour had misdiagnosed it as a polymorphous low-grade adenocarcimoma (PLGA), a slow growing tumour mostly affecting older women, according to a High Court writ.
Instead Mr Pickin, an electrician, had adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified, (ANOS), a cancer with low survival rates needing radiotherapy after surgery, the writ says.
A diagnosis of PGLA in a man in his mid thirties would have been so rare it would have been worth reporting in world literature, the court will hear.
He had developed a painful lump on his jaw and underwent surgery on October 22 2004. If he had also received radiotherapy, his chances of surviving at least 15 years would have been 54 per cent, the writ says.
But because of the incorrect pathology report, he was not given radiotherapy, and a year later a scan showed his tumour had recurred in his jaw, engulfing his facial nerve.
He underwent surgery at Guy’s Hospital on December 23 2005 and his jaw was reconstructed using skin from his thigh. He developed a total facial palsy, causing problems with opening his mouth, eating and pain, as well as a significant cosmetic deformity.
When he was told of the original misdiagnosis, he developed depression, needing medication, and in 2007 the cancer spread.
In January 2008 he was told he had only months to live, and suffered from symptoms including pain, fear and distress. He was given chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but died on October 18 2009.
Mrs Pickin, of Montayne Road, brands the trust negligent and says the pathologist failed to take enough care when reporting on the specimen, and failed to recognise he had ANOS rather than PLGA.
The pathologist failed to comment on the very exceptional conclusion, and the trust failed to suggest a second opinion, the writ claims.
Mrs Pickin is seeking damages for herself and sons Joseph, 14, and Thomas, 10. She and her husband shared responsibility for their children, housework, cooking and gardening and he was an accomplished handyman.
source: hertfordshiremercury.co.uk
