More than 500 Camarthenshire men have an anxious wait ahead of them after a routine quality control inspection revealed potentially fatal mistakes in prostate cancer testing.
The men were given the all clear after being referred for biopsies based on the suspicious findings of earlier blood tests. Two errors were discovered in the testing carried out by Camarthenshire NHS Trust at the West Wales General Hospital on the outskirts of Camarthen. The biopsy material collected is now being referred to an outside agency for further examination. Only biopsies taken this year are affected and no other samples tested by the hospital's pathology lab.
Paul Barnett, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: "The Trust would like to publicly apologise for any distress this may cause. The necessary steps are being taken to ensure that any errors are dealt with."
The men in question will have to wait for up to seven weeks for their biopsy samples to be retested, although if mistakes have been made the number is likely to be very small.
The men were given the all clear after being referred for biopsies based on the suspicious findings of earlier blood tests. Two errors were discovered in the testing carried out by Camarthenshire NHS Trust at the West Wales General Hospital on the outskirts of Camarthen. The biopsy material collected is now being referred to an outside agency for further examination. Only biopsies taken this year are affected and no other samples tested by the hospital's pathology lab.
Paul Barnett, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: "The Trust would like to publicly apologise for any distress this may cause. The necessary steps are being taken to ensure that any errors are dealt with."
The men in question will have to wait for up to seven weeks for their biopsy samples to be retested, although if mistakes have been made the number is likely to be very small.
