'I don't know if I have cancer or not': patient in N.B. pathology review

A patient whose tests are being reviewed as part of an inquiry into pathology services at a New Brunswick hospital says the situation has caused him anxiety and makes it difficult for him to sleep.

"Right now I don't know if I have cancer or not. And I'm worried," John Gay told CBC News.

"I'm not embarrassed to say, I have trouble sleeping, and I have anxiety."

His test results are being reviewed to determine whether the results given to him by former pathologist Dr. Rajgopal Menon are correct.

Gay was one of six patients who testified on Monday in Miramichi at the inquiry into the work performed by Menon, who was suspended from the Miramichi Regional Health Authority in February 2007 following complaints about incomplete diagnoses and delayed lab results. Gay was the only patient to share his story publicly.

The inquiry was launched after an independent audit of 227 cases of breast and prostate biopsies from 2004 to 2005 found that 18 per cent of the cases had incomplete results and three per cent had been misdiagnosed.

Nearly 24,000 cases from 1995, when Menon started working in Miramichi, to 2007 are being reviewed by a lab in Ottawa. Menon is now 74.

Gay said the experience has shaken his confidence in the health-care system.

"I for one do not trust the system anymore. I do not trust the Miramichi to do any pathology or any tests on me," Gay said, adding he believes the hospital should check doctors' credentials more carefully.

But, he said, "Hopefully this [inquiry] will better the system at the Miramichi Hospital."

Patient waited months for results

On Tuesday, the inquiry heard from more patients whose test results are being reviewed. 

One woman testified in camera that after she had a breast removed in 2003, her oncologist had to wait several months for a pathology report on the cancer — details her doctor needed in order to proceed with her treatment.

The woman said her doctor finally ordered the tissue samples to be sent from Miramichi to Moncton for analysis.

She said the delay altered the kind of treatment she received and may have affected her long-term prognosis.

Another woman said she now wonders whether she really needed to have surgery to remove her uterus and an ovary in 1998. She described the surgery as very difficult.

One of the women, who lived in Miramichi her whole life, said that despite her lack of confidence in the results, she doesn't want to see the hospital lose any of the services.

She said people in the area had waited for a long time for access to health services and that removing services would not repair the mistakes that have affected so many people.

On Monday, a 66-year-old man told the inquiry that two consecutive tests for prostate cancer came back negative, but cancer cells were found in the biopsies when they were reviewed.

He said he could have avoided uncomfortable hormone and radiation treatments had he received a correct diagnosis earlier.

Airing of patient stories 'needed'

Health Minister Mike Murphy said he knows the testimony will lead to an emotional week, but while it is painful, the patient testimony will help investigators get to the bottom of what happened.

He said their stories will also help the inquiry make recommendations to prevent such problems from happening again.

"The conclusions of the inquiry may be what some expect they may be, completely different than some people expect, but certainly the airing is needed for New Brunswick, for the community, and I think we'll see that," he said.

Marc Antoine Chiasson, principal counsel at the inquiry, agreed that hearing from patients is important for determining what went wrong.

"This is a big puzzle and there [are] numerous pieces that need to fit it, and the stories of the patient is one of the pieces that is important. And [Monday] we were able to get that piece in and we'll continue the next few days. So I think it's important to get the human side of the story."

During the first phase of the inquiry, in Moncton in May, Menon apologized to the patients, but said he was not aware of any errors in his work and takes "practically zero" responsibility for any incomplete or misdiagnosed results.

Patients lost confidence in care: lawyer

Ches Crosbie, the lawyer representing patients in a class-action lawsuit against the hospital, said that like Gay, many of his clients have lost confidence in the health-care system.

"Even those who have not received bad news, in other words they have only received the news there is only going to be a retesting, and who rationally might think, 'Well the odds are there's not going to be any change in that.' Below that there is still this worry that goes on and also this loss of faith," he explained.

The inquiry will run until June 24 in Miramichi. It will return to Moncton for four final weeks of hearings in September.

The inquiry will not assign any criminal responsibility for the misdiagnoses.

Justice Paul Creaghan is expected to make recommendations to the government by Jan. 1.