Senior doctor 'behind breast cancer scandal'

A senior doctor behind a major breast cancer scare failed to make even basic checks for the disease, a medical panel has heard.

Dr Kong Fa Lan Keng Lun was in charge of a screening unit when blunders led to almost 6,000 NHS tests being reviewed.

Eighteen women who were given the all-clear then discovered they had cancer.

Now Dr Lan Keng Lun faces being struck off after officials accused him of a string of fundamental errors.

The lead clinician of the service, based at St Margaret's Hospital in Epping, he was responsible for screening thousands of women between March 2003 and November 2004.

A General Medical Council disciplinary panel heard he examined a patient without carrying out full ultrasound scans, failed to arrange a biopsy, did not give her basic "breast aware" advice, and told her she only had cysts.

Eight more women were not assessed properly, vital equipment was left damaged, Dr Lan Keng Lun argued with radiographers in front of patients and he acted irresponsibly by failing to keep records, the panel was told.

The consultant radiologist is appearing before a fitness-to-practice panel in Manchester. He denies misconduct but admits some assessments fell below NHS standards.

Some women who were caught up in the original crisis have since undergone mastectomies. Others are having aggressive chemotherapy.

Frances Nathan, of Wanstead, was screened in May 2003 and had been told previously, after a series of biopsies, that an irregularity in her breast was benign.

But she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years later and underwent a mastectomy. Thankfully, the cancer had not spread.

Speaking before the disciplinary hearing, she said: "I'm one of the lucky ones, but can you imagine all these women who had a recall and were later just told they had cancer and it might have spread? It's terrible." Another woman treated by Dr Lan Keng Lun told an internet support forum how she left the Epping unit in March 2003 believing she was cancer-free, despite having three cysts. Seven months later she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. "I have so many mixed emotions, fears (and tears) as I prepare to retell my story of a consultation that went badly wrong," she said.

Last year, Essex strategic health authority said there had been a "serious service failure" at the screening unit, which is run by the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.

Two hundred women were recalled and 5,765 tests were reviewed. The health authority blamed bad management and staff conflict for part of the problem. The unit closed in November 2004 and re-opened last year. Thousands of women are still waiting for routine tests.

A spokesman for the Princess Alexandra trust said Dr Lan Keng Lun resigned in November and "important lessons" had been learned. The hearing continues.