Mother-of-two endured FOUR needless rounds of chemotherapy by mistake

A mother-of-two was given four rounds of chemotherapy she didn't need - and only found out when she researched the treatment herself.

Jodi Huggett underwent the treatment after an operation to remove a low-grade form of bowel cancer. The gruelling therapy caused her to go into anaphylactic shock twice.

But she discovered she had been put through the extra suffering after her doctor failed to investigate the most suitable treatment for her.

As she faced the fifth session, Mrs Huggett researched her tumour only to find that chemotherapy had never been used for her condition.

Guidelines showed she should not have undergone chemotherapy following the surgery to remove the cancer.

Now, after taking legal action against Hull and East Yorkshire Hospital's NHS Trust, the Trust has agreed to pay a compensation settlement to the 41-year-old.

And they said the oncologist failed to consider accepted UK and European guidelines with regards to the most suitable course of treatment.

The Trust also admitted the decision to offer chemotherapy breached the hospital's duty of care.

Mrs Huggett, from Caistor, near Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, said: 'I was on my knees following my operation and with my chemotherapy treatment.

'I was just about to go into my fifth cycle and I felt so poorly that I decided to look online into it myself.

'To my amazement, I found a blog which mentioned people of my age with the same tumour and referenced the Royal Free Hospital in London as a specialist centre.

'From what I read, I questioned the treatment and the information I had been given, so I contacted the Royal Free Hospital and they agreed to review my case.

'They told me chemotherapy never has and never will be proven to work on a tumour like the one I had and the only way it would have been required was for a palliative care patient, which I wasn't.'

Mrs Huggett added: 'I couldn't believe it when I found out it had all been completely unnecessary.

'It was heartbreaking.'

The Royal Free Hospital contacted Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, that Mrs Huggett was attending, to advise them they were treating their patient incorrectly.

Having suffered a number of side-effects from the chemotherapy, Mrs Huggett said it was 'disgusting' that basic online research uncovered the error.

Mrs Huggett, mother to Olivia, 19, and Harriet, 16, said: 'I suffered from coldness of the lips, fingers and toes, low energy and tingling as side-effects of the chemotherapy and I didn't even need it. It shouldn't have happened.

'It's ridiculous. Think about the cost to the NHS and the nursing care, the amount of chemotherapy, anti-sickness drugs, steroids and anti-depressants I was on.'

After undergoing scans and checks in London by the Royal Free specialists, it was revealed she was cancer free.

Solicitor Hayley Collinson, who specialises in compensation claims related to medical negligence, described it as 'completely inexcusable' to fail to follow accepted guidelines.

Mrs Collinson said: 'Mrs Huggett was put through avoidable extra pain, suffering and illness simply because medical experts failed to follow accepted UK and European guidelines to the best form of treatment following her operation.

'This is completely inexcusable and was completely avoidable.

'If you are diagnosed with cancer, it's not unusual to be told you need chemotherapy, so it's understandable that she trusted her consultant and relied on their recommendation and went with it.

'Anybody else in Mrs Huggett's position would have done the same.'

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust have been contacted for comment.

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