Garratts were successful in obtaining an award of Damages in the total sum of £95,000.00 for the Widower and family of a Deceased young woman. Ms X had a number of medical issues which required her to take immunosuppresant medication. She presented to her GP when she was 34 years of age with warty lesions around her anus. She was referred to a Sexual Health Clinic and over the next 3 years underwent basic treatment for warts including Cryotherapy and administration of Aldara cream. Notwithstanding this treatment the warts persisted and indeed became more significant including the development of a very large anal wart which was painful. Eventually this was diagnosed as a large ulcerated and squamous carcinoma which had already spread to lymph nodes. Notwithstanding surgery and chemotherapy the fact that the cancer had spread into her lymph nodes eventually resulted in her unfortunate death shortly before her 40th birthday and less than 5 years after her initial referral for treatment of the warts.
There is increased incidence of anal warts and anal carcinoma in patients who are immunosuppresed particularly following transplantation. The medical evidence found that there was a significant delay of diagnosis in Ms X’s anal carcinoma and notwithstanding the fact that the cancer could initially be considered to be anal warts the persistence of same and the failure of the treatment provided to cure the problem should have alerted the medical staff treating her and alternative diagnosis and investigation should have been carried out years earlier than it was.
It was determined that had the carcinoma been diagnosed at least within 2 years of the initial referral (as it should have been) the invasive disease would not have developed or she could have been cured of the cancer.
