Delays In Cancer Treatment Highlighted In Coroner’s Report

A recent coroner’s report has brought to light the tragic case of Carla Smith, a 38-year-old woman whose cancer treatment was severely delayed, ultimately contributing to her death in June 2023.

Diagnosis and initial delays

Smith was diagnosed with metastatic endometrial cancer, which had progressed rapidly before her treatment could begin.

The Norfolk coroner, Samantha Goward, revealed significant delays in laboratory results and lengthy waiting lists for urgent referrals, which hindered Smith’s chances for early intervention. Smith first visited her GP in July 2022, where an ultrasound scan showed a thickened endometrium, a potential sign of cancer.

Despite the need for immediate attention, her referral to the gynaecology team was delayed, with an anticipated wait of four to six weeks — a delay that should have been shortened to two weeks due to the urgency of her case.

A biopsy taken in January 2023 was mistakenly marked as “routine,” and by April, Smith’s condition had worsened. A CT scan revealed advanced cancer, and further investigations confirmed it had reached stage four.

Although surgery was initially planned, the aggressive nature of the disease led to Smith’s rapid deterioration, and palliative care was initiated.

The coroner’s report also highlighted alarming wait times at hospitals, with one gynaecology referral waiting 18 weeks, and another up to 30 weeks. These delays, the report stressed, could cause patients to significantly deteriorate, missing out on critical treatment options.

Response from the NHS trust

In response to the findings, Rebecca Martin, medical director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, acknowledged the shortcomings in Smith’s care and committed to learning from the tragic case.

The Trust has since launched an investigation to improve the handling of urgent referrals and triaging processes to prevent future delays.

The Department of Health and Social Care now has 56 days to respond to the coroner’s report, but the case serves as a sobering reminder of the potentially fatal consequences of delays in healthcare and the need for urgent reform in patient treatment protocols.