Consultant tells High Court chance of cure is 'extremely low' for 'unfortunate' Ruth Morrissey
A scan for Ruth Morrissey may have diagnosed a recurrence of her cancer but a chance of cure is extremely low, a leading consultant has told the High Court.
Consultant obstetrician Donal Brennan, who examined the terminally ill mother's scan of February 2018 which diagnosed a recurrence of her cancer in the pelvic wall, said the cancer for this "unfortunate woman" was in a very unusual position.
Professor Brennan was giving evidence on Day 28 of Ms Morrissey's long-running action against the HSE and two US laboratories over the alleged misreading of her CervicalCheck smear slides.
He said the mass on Ms Morrissey's pelvic wall is invading into her hip bone and surgery is not an option.
Asked by HSE counsel Patrick Hanratty SC about scanning patients after surgery, Prof. Brennan said there have not been great developments in scanning and routine imaging is not without potential risks.
He said he disagreed that Ruth Morrissey was in the high-risk category after her trachelectomy in 2014.
He agreed her recurrence was an aggressive cancer invading the bone and was probably a fast-growing tumour.
The radiology features, he said, suggest the recurrence of cancer was an aggressive, fast-growing tumour which recurred six months previously. The tumour, he said, was enclosed and began pushing on the sciatic nerve.
From his assessment, he said he couldn’t confirm the recurrence was detectable before February 2017.
Prof. Brennan said it was very unusual to see a tumour invade the hip bone as has happened in this case.
“It is extremely rare for cervical cancer to go into the bone. This is the first case I have seen of this degree of bone involvement.”
He added it means the recurring cancer is aggressively invading into the bone and it suggests it has got very aggressive.
Cross-examined by Ruth Morrissey's counsel, Jeremy Maher SC, he said he disagreed with the suggestion the duty of care demanded that imaging be carried out on Ms Morrissey as part of her follow-up care after her 2014 surgery.
In her action, Ms Morrissey and her husband Paul Morrissey, of Monaleen, Co Limerick have sued the HSE and two US laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Ireland Ltd with offices at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin, along with Medlab Pathology Ltd with offices at Sandyford Business Park, Dublin 18.
It is claimed there was an alleged failure to correctly report and diagnose and misinterpretation of her smear samples taken in 2009 and 2012 and her cancer spread unidentified, unmonitored and untreated until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in June 2014.
It is further claimed a review of the 2009 and 2012 smears took place in 2014 and 2015 with the results sent to Ms Morrissey’s treating gynaecologist in 2016, but she was not told until May 2018 of those results which showed her smears were reported incorrectly.
The HSE admitted it owed a duty of care to Ms Morrissey. The laboratories deny all claims.
The case before Mr Justice Kevin Cross continues.
