英国一国民保健信托基金承认误切20名女性乳房NHS Trust Admits 20 Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies

达勒姆郡与达灵顿国民保健信托基金在其乳腺科内部审查中，确认了该医疗部门所造成的广泛伤害。在该机构目前完成核查的514起病例中，共有315名患者被判定在治疗期间遭受伤害，其中77人承受了严重伤害。该信托基金同时证实，在受影响的群体中已有1名患者死亡。

The internal review conducted by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has revealed widespread patient harm across its breast cancer unit. Out of the 514 individual clinical cases assessed by medical reviewers so far, 315 patients were confirmed to have suffered harm during their treatment, including 77 patients who experienced significant harm. The trust also confirmed that one affected patient has died.

审查结论显示，有20名女性在乳腺癌诊疗过程中接受了本可避免的全乳切除手术。除过度施行切除手术外，医疗团队还存在多起癌症漏诊或延误诊断的情况。相关延误直接导致部分患者体内的癌细胞发生扩散，进一步加重了患者的病情与身体损伤。这一系列发现证实了英国广播公司去年关于该机构存在200多起受害病例调查报道的严重性。

The clinical findings established that 20 women underwent unnecessary mastectomies that could have been avoided. Beyond avoidable full breast removals, the look-back investigation uncovered multiple instances of missed or delayed cancer diagnoses. These diagnostic failures permitted malignant cells to spread in several patients, aggravating their medical conditions. The published findings follow earlier reports from the BBC indicating that more than 200 patients had experienced clinical harm under the care of the same hospital trust.

多名受影响女性公开描述了得知切除手术本可避免后的震惊与持续创伤。来自达勒姆郡康塞特的51岁患者丹妮斯·豪沃思于2023年被确诊患有1级乳腺癌。在接受肿瘤切除术后，她被告知仍需切除全乳，并随后完成了化疗与放疗。然而，信托基金在2025年9月的通知与随信中承认，豪沃思本可接受第二次局部肿瘤切除，但医疗团队当时从未向她提出这一替代方案。豪沃思表示，信托基金的致歉无法换回失去的乳房。

Affected patients have shared accounts of the deep shock and lasting trauma that followed news that their breast removal surgeries were avoidable. Denise Howarth, a 51-year-old from Consett, County Durham, was diagnosed with grade 1 breast cancer in 2023. After an initial lumpectomy, medical staff told her that a mastectomy was required, which was followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In September 2025, a phone call and subsequent letter from the trust acknowledged that she could have been offered a second lumpectomy instead of a full removal, an option never discussed with her at the time. Howarth stated that the trust's apology would not bring her breast back.

化名乔的前医疗系统工作人员在2021年接受了乳房全切除术，并在拨打热线后被告知该手术本属多余。她指出，医疗团队本应开展进一步筛查和活检，如果落实检查就会发现其他区域均为良性，而较大的乳房组织中仅存在极微小的癌变。前患者群体目前已联合起来互相支持，并呼吁启动独立的公共调查，以全面审查该医疗部门造成的身体与心理创伤。

Another patient, identified as Jo, underwent a mastectomy in 2021 and was informed earlier this year via the trust's helpline that the surgery was unnecessary. She stated that medical staff should have performed further screenings and biopsies, which would have shown other areas to be benign and revealed that only a small cancer existed. Groups of former patients have formed support networks and are calling for a statutory public inquiry into the treatment failures.

达勒姆郡与达灵顿国民保健信托基金首席执行官史蒂夫·拉塞尔就该机构造成的伤害公开致歉，承认院方此前错失了更早倾听并采取行动的契机，并表示所发生的一切完全不可接受。拉塞尔指出，该信托基金在事后对乳腺服务进行了重大调整，以推动诊疗工作的改善，同时仍在继续开展回溯审查，以确认潜在受害患者并提供相应支持与信息。

Steve Russell, the chief executive of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, apologised unreservedly to the women and families harmed by failures in its breast services, stating that what happened was utterly unacceptable. Russell acknowledged that the trust had missed opportunities where it should have listened more carefully and acted sooner. He noted that the trust has since implemented significant operational changes across the breast unit to improve clinical care while continuing the look-back review to identify harmed patients and provide appropriate support.

信托基金董事会定于9月24日召开公开会议，评估回溯审查的后续范围与时间表。拉塞尔向英国广播公司透露，院方正在听取患者团体、临床医学专家及法律代表的意见，将根据全面平衡的考量，决定是否将审查范围扩大至2015年以来的多达1万起病例。信托基金方面强调，目前尚未作出最终决定，相关审议结果将在会议结束后向社会公布。

The trust board is scheduled to hold a public meeting on September 24 to consider the future timeframe and scope of the review. Russell told the BBC that the trust has been consulting patient groups, clinical experts, and legal representatives to form a balanced assessment on whether to expand the investigation to examine up to 10,000 cases dating back to 2015. The trust stated that no final decision has been pre-empted, adding that full outcomes from the board's discussions will be released publicly following the meeting.

针对达勒姆郡与达灵顿国民保健信托基金乳腺科引发的严重医疗失误，英国国家打击犯罪局目前正与达勒姆警方展开密切合作。执法机构正对前患者群体提交的指控内容进行正式核查与取证，重点查明涉事医务人员及管理层在诊疗与手术决策过程中是否存在任何刑事犯罪行为。

The National Crime Agency has launched a formal joint operation with Durham Police to assess allegations raised by former patients regarding care received at the trust's breast unit. Law enforcement officers are currently investigating the clinical and operational circumstances surrounding the unnecessary surgeries and diagnostic failures to determine whether any criminal offences were committed during treatment decision-making.

除了执法层面的介入调查，该信托基金持续为受影响人群提供专项支持通道。院方设立了专门的服务支持热线（0191 333 2126）以及官方电子邮箱（cddft.breastservices@nhs.net），协助对自身乳腺诊疗过程存有疑虑的公众进行咨询与病历核对，确保此前可能受害的患者能够及时获得临床信息与后续支持。

Alongside the criminal inquiry, the hospital trust has maintained dedicated support channels for affected individuals. Patients and family members who have concerns about their past breast cancer care have been urged to reach out through a dedicated helpline at 0191 333 2126 or via email at cddft.breastservices@nhs.net, ensuring that former patients receive appropriate clinical records reviews and ongoing medical guidance.