Mother dies of cancer after cervical smear test error

A mother of three died of cervical cancer two years after doctors incorrectly said her screening test was normal.

Kerry Pugh, 48, started experiencing symptoms including abnormal bleeding in 2017.

She had checks at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Cheltenham, but no definitive cause for the bleeding was determined.

In June 2018, the mother of three started to experience further symptoms including bloating and attended a routine cervical cancer screening appointment.

But Ms Pugh, who worked as a retail assistant, was told the results were normal when in fact tests had revealed cell changes.

Later that year her symptoms deteriorated and she began to experience irregular bleeding and pain in her coccyx.

She underwent tests that revealed she had stage four cancer. An MRI scan showed she had a large invasive tumour bigger than a tennis ball.

The size of the growth, which measured 8cm x 5cm x 5cm, meant surgery was not an option.

Ms Pugh had an operation to have a stoma fitted and underwent a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

However, the treatment was too late and she died aged 48 in June 2022 from cervical cancer.

Following her death, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, which analysed the 2018 test, carried out an audit of the screening results.

It found that despite originally being reported as normal, the sample actually showed severe cell changes.

Her husband, Stephen Pugh, instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate whether more could have been done to diagnose her cancer sooner.

Mr Pugh, 45, is considering taking legal action against the Trust and has urged women to be aware of the signs of the disease.

The network support engineer said: “I can’t begin to describe the distress and exhaustion that Kerry went through.

“Although she was suffering extreme pain because of her illness, Kerry always tried to stay positive right to the end, especially for the children.

“Kerry was absolutely everything to me and we all miss her every day.”

Mr Pugh added: “There are so many unanswered questions about Kerry’s diagnosis and treatment; in particular, could Kerry’s cancer have been picked up sooner?

“Kerry wanted these answers so that the kids would know how hard she fought to still be here.”

Ms Pugh had previously been flagged as being at a high risk of developing cancer-causing virus HPV.

She had attended screening appointments and had previously undergone procedures to remove cells in her cervix.

But Ms Pugh’s smear test in June 2018 was reported as negative.

“That November she visited a GP concerned about bleeding and was referred for a biopsy which was reported as being clear.”

Lawyer Eleanor Giblin, who is representing Mr Pugh, said: “The last 19 months have been incredibly difficult for Stephen and the rest of Kerry’s family as they’ve attempted to try and come to terms with her death and the circumstances surrounding it.

“Understandably Stephen has a number of concerns regarding whether more could have been to diagnose Kerry’s cancer sooner, especially in light of the audit which highlighted severe cell changes rather than Kerry’s result being negative as initially recorded.

“We’re investigating this further with the assistance of independent medical experts.

“Despite concerns about Kerry’s test results, it’s vital that people continue to attend screening appointments as early detection and treatment is key to beating cancer.”

Dr John Jones, medical director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We continue to support Mr Pugh with any questions regarding the care of his wife.”