A BREAST cancer patient, diagnosed 20 months after a junior doctor at Royal Bournemouth Hospital gave him the all-clear, says the experience has “turned his world upside down.”

The 63-year-old Bournemouth man, who does not want to be identified, is one of the patients involved in the hospital’s recent recall, during which a total of 462 people were contacted after consultants raised concerns about their initial assessments.

The man, who underwent a recent mastectomy and is having chemotherapy, has now spoken out about the life-changing situation he has faced over the past few months.

Referred by his GP to RBH back in September 2011 after finding a lump, the man said he never doubted the junior doctor who, after a brief examination, told him there was nothing to worry about.

“I was just so relieved; after all they are the experts and I thought that was that”, he said.

“Then I got the recall notice in May. They were clearly concerned from the word go as I had an ultrasound, x-ray and biopsy in the same day.”

He said: “When I got the (recall) letter I didn’t know what to think; I’m not someone that panics and I just thought there was nothing to worry about.”

The man, who has just finished his first round of chemotherapy, added: “I am sure I was not the only person misdiagnosed.

“I will hopefully survive it.

“However, had the obvious problem been diagnosed earlier I may have got away with a lumpectomy as opposed to a mastectomy and perhaps radiotherapy as opposed to chemotherapy.

“Something like this turns your world upside down.

“I am upset with them. I understand mistakes happen |but it took them a long time to come back to it – it just beggars belief.

“I have no illusions that it is going to be a long and difficult road ahead but I will get through it. I just feel for all the others out there having to go through similar.

“My long-term prognosis is good but it doesn’t stop you thinking about what could have happened.

“No one has apologised formally. The only thing someone said was one of the doctors told me they were sorry it had happened.”

Bosses at RBH have since issued the following statement: Paula Shobbrook, director of nursing at RBH said: “First and foremost we are sincerely sorry that this patient has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“The medical team treating him has made a full apology to him. Chief executive Tony Spotswood and I would also like to meet with him personally to offer an unreserved apology and do so at a time that is most appropriate for him. This is a private matter and therefore we would not want to discuss this in the public domain.

“One new breast cancer diagnosis is one too many. The Board will continue to look closely at this case and we have invited the Royal College of Surgeons in to review what happened.”